The Tail-less Mermaid

[MermaidAleksandra]

I loved mermaids all my life.When I discovered the world of mermaiding, I decided that I want to get a tail of my own. I asked my parents if I could get one. I want one from magictail.de by the way. My parents said I can't have it because it's childish and that it isn't worth it. What can I do to change their mind?

[MerAnthony]

Educate them an explain to them why. I am 44 years old an I love what I am doing, an I know there are alot of others that do the same. Show them the Network. Try to get them to see things your way an how you feel.

[Mermaid Varshana]

Show them Hannah Fraser's website and videos.

[Mary Marine]

Try to see if from your parents point of view and address their concerns. They say it's childish, but most mermaids and mermen are adults, as seen in this community. Some are of us are professional, but most do it for fun and there's nothing wrong with that.

If they are concerned about cost, show some initiative and start saving money yourself. See if you can get them to match whatever you save, they may be willing to help pay if they see you are serious. If not, you may just have to pony up and buy the whole tail yourself. Don't blow all your savings on your tail! You parents want you to budget wisely and buying a tail doesn't get you any closer to moving out, getting a car, going to college, or the other "real life" expenses.

Be patient. It make take a while to save up enough, so find things to do in the mean time. Swim more regularly, researching free diving and holding your breath, read tail maker reviews, and find pools and beaches you can wear your future tail. Good luck!

[Anahita]

I would aim for getting them to accept a monofin first. It's a cheaper investment, it'll give you a base to make a fabric tail over, and it will help ease them into the idea. Parents can be hard to convince sometimes, and in those cases, you need to try patience.

From what I've learned from watching my little sister with my parents is that a LOT of times, my parents don't want to indulge her in anything expensive (like a mermaid tail will be) because she's fickle. I don't mean to be rude and presume your age (I'm in my mid-twenties myself and still living with my family - that's just how it rolls with Persians a lot of the time) but if you're under 20, it's very likely that your parents feel that the mermaiding thing is a "phase" which is why they'd be a bit cruel about it and call it childish. I see my parents do this to my little sister a lot...

What you need to try is to prove to them that this is something you really like, and that it's a fun recreational activity for you that you'll stick with for a long time. Tails are very expensive, and unless they're extremely indulgent, most parents won't just throw that kind of money around for something they think you might not do anymore after a year, or season. I know personally, my parents have a hard enough time giving me money to pay for fabric for my historical costuming... And I've been doing historical reenactment and costuming since I was about 12. So it will take a lot of time and effort before they come around.

Start small, ask them if you can have something like a Finis Foil monofin (only about $50 US, which I think is maybe 38 Euro) to see if you want to stick with it. Explain to them calmly why you like it, and remember that they won't be so keen on your first few tries. If you keep pushing the full tail, they'll likely get firmer and firmer on saying "no", so go in grades; monofin, fabric to stitch your own tail, a professionally made tail.

Alternatively even if they keep saying "no" patience has its own rewards, and you can save up the money fairly easily (150 Euro is not a bad price for a tail, and I imagine if you penny pinch, you can save that much in a year). So if you really want the tail and they keep refusing to pay for it, you have that option too.

[Miyu]

Welcome, Aleksandra! Nice to have you join us!

I agree, show your parents that a lot of us mers do this professionally! Also, getting a monofin first is a great idea. It'll show them that you can be safe swimming like that. Let them know that it's a piece of sports equipment, not just for mermaiding! Lots of freedivers, scuba divers, and pro swimmers use monofins. If they see you practicing with that regularly for a while, it may show them that you're serious about a tail.
Once they're a little more ok with the idea, then you can ask them for fabric to make a tail - it's really not as hard as making clothing, making a tail is easily done at home (as long as you have the monofin already). Most of us start out with fabric tails, saving up for a long time sometimes to get a silicone tail. Some mers stick with fabric tails only! And it's not just limited to neoprene or 4-way spandex (those are the most commonly used fabrics for a tail), a few mers have stretch velvet tails even, so you may even have fabric laying around you could use! That might make your parents happier than buying a tail, as it is costly to buy one pre-made, but can be ridiculously cheap to make your own (if you have fabric laying around, it's free)!

I am prone to "phases", so when I told my BF I wanted to be a mermaid, he kind of rolled his eyes. But for the past month, I've been SO ACTIVE with all the mermaiding things (and chatting here with mers all day) that he now accepts that it's not a phase and talks to me seriously about it (if not as interested as me). So it's not just you, or younger mers, that have that problem :P

[aWittleNoob]

I think your parents reactions will depend on your age. I think a monofin and a fabric tail would be a good thing to start with. If I were you i'd look into the cost of a monfin, and the fabric, and supllies you will need to make a tail and total it up. Then compare prices with them. I like the idea of showing them Hannah Fraiser website. Also show them some videos of her swimming? @______@;

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Do what I did. Bought some flippers at the beach, made a fabric tail. They were surprised when I actually swam in it, they would never buy me a monofin. So, when I had a job and I was making my own money, I was in more control. And I just ordered mine yesterday. I was 11 when I made my first tail and I'm 18 now. I'm a lot younger than some of the other mers but for me, 7 years is a pretty big commitment haha :)

[MermaidAleksandra]

Thank you all for your advice! :D

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