A mother says she lets her two-year-old daughter wear make-up and dye her hair, because she can't stand the constraints that society puts on creativity.

Trainee tattoo artist Amy Lyn, 25, from California, claims her daughter, BellaMae, will make wiser decisions as an adult if she is allowed to make choices as a child regarding how she looks.

Lyn, who also has bright pink hair, says that the two regularly enjoy mother-and-daughter fake tattoo and make-up sessions, with BellaMae choosing the same colour for her hair as her 'favourite crayons'.

Little BellaMae, aged two, already chooses the make-up she wants to wear and what colour her hair is. Her mother, Amy Lyn, from California, says that she's simply giving her toddler 'freedom of expression'

Pink hair, don't care: The toddler first dyed her hair for Halloween and is currently sporting a dark pink do; mother-of-one Lyn says that the adult world - with 40-hour working weeks - diminishes creativity

BellaMae loves copying her mother's body art with fake tattoos; something Lyn, 25, says it's about not making her daughter a 'cookie cutter' child

'Alternative parenting, I think starts with the style,' says Lyn.

'The grunge/punk/alternative style really bloomed in the eighties and nineties. Growing up in that time I think I really held onto the darker, more unusual fashion and style.

She adds: 'As a person becoming a mother, I don't want to change and let go of that darker creative side of myself.

'I waited until my daughter started to take interest on her own to introduce temporary tattoos, colourful play make-up, and dyed hair.

'From there I let her have the lead. I feel extremely strong about being myself no matter what.

'Other than just physically letting her play with the way she looks as a kid who just thinks it's fun, I think of alternative parenting as simple as out of the cookie cutter mould.

Lyn says that parents often take a dictator approach, banning things until they feel their child is old enough to make an informed choice.

Parents are 'dictators', Lyn says and thinks children should be able to express themselves with colour

Making children wait until they're older to make bigger decisions about how they look is a mistake, thinks the trainee tattoo artist

'I think waiting until they are in middle school or high school or even eighteen years of age, is too long to wait to teach them about choices and cause and effect.

'I chose to let my daughter start exploring options to express herself as soon as she is capable, so that down the line she's less likely to waste time trying to find who she is and can focus on making whatever her dreams are reality.'

There are necessities in life like working, and paying bleak bills, but you can still be an individual and have joy in anything Amy Lynn

Amy is BellaMae's definition of normal as she has never seen her mother without tattoos or stretched ears.

She's always loved the tattoos and used to put stickers all over herself until Amy Lyn bought her some temporary ones. Her hair was dyed for the first time at Halloween after she was given the choice.

'If I have any kind of message by allowing my daughter to put little temporary tattoos on herself, and playing with make-up, or changing her hair colour to look like her favourite crayons, it's that I want her to know freedom of expression,' added Amy.

Lipstick, powder and paint: BellaMae, who's nearly three, after experimenting with her make-up and fake tattoos

Be an individual: Lyn says being herself is the most important thing to her - and she'll try to pass that on to BellaMae

'Adulthood often lacks so much creativity, and the world needs it to combat the constant bills, and 40+ hour work week.

'Most people would say that my daughter (almost three years old) is too young to be changing her hair colour, but I say let her start choosing now.

'I give my child the option to have fun bright hair now, so that she will be a better decision maker later in life. And let's face it, if you were giving the option as a child in the thirties to have blue hair, you probably would do it.

'Because a child then and now, still has the same childlike wonder, it's our outside circumstances that affect what we have access and acceptability to.'

Amy feels this alternative parenting is already extremely common at the moment thanks to the 80s and 90s kids growing up and having children of their own.

'It's the generations that were born in the eighties and nineties that were the most open to expressing themselves, and had the tools to do so through music and art,' she explained.

'Now those generations are having children and I see so many people give up that creative part of them to go for the usual parenting - being that Mom and Dad who choose everything for their kids until they're old enough to choose for themselves.

'I try to stay as creative as possible, so that my daughter can see that even though there are necessities in life like working, and paying bleak bills, you can still be an individual and have joy in anything.'