Doug is forced to get a tattoo on his birthday by his abusive alcoholic father. The father clearly feels that this is a necessary rite of passage for his son—that a tattoo will constitute a very visible sign of his transition to manhood. But that's certainly not how Doug sees it. The tattoo reads "Mama's Baby" and, as one can imagine, is a constant source of embarrassment to Doug.

Although Doug can't read, he knows what the tattoo says and how humiliated he'll feel if anyone sees it. That explains why he's so reluctant to play basketball for the "skins" team, as then his tattoo will be brutally exposed for all to see. Thankfully, Doug's able to get out of participating in basketball and takes up cross-country running instead. He also become something of a whizz at trivia contests, though his old man has to spoil everything by taking his cash prize and signed baseball.

In the eyes of Doug's father, his son may well have made the transition to manhood by getting a tattoo on his birthday, but that still doesn't mean that he should be treated like an adult. Doug's father continues his controlling, abusive behavior.