I was watching a Loose Women clip (for those of you who don't know Loose Women it's a British talk show) and they were talking about godparents and whether it was still considered an important role or not. And it got me thinking what other people thought.
I'm a Catholic and I come from a family of believers so naturally the role of godparents is very important to us. Both my children are baptized so obviously they have godparents too. I myself am not a godparent but if I was asked I would only do it depending on who the person was because I consider it to be a very important role even though others agree to do it but then take the role lightly. That's why I chose my children's godparents with care. People who I knew and trusted to take their responsibilities seriously.
What are everyone's thought on this subject? Do you think being a godparent is an important job? Do you have godchildren? Do you consider it an honour to do this role?
I had both of my kids christened. We're not particularly religious but we thought it was a lovely thing to do for our kids. We did have to choose godparents of course, and I'm happy to say that we chose who we felt were the very best people for the job. It's like creating additional family for my children, other people who will be there to love and support them throughout their lives. I would never have picked someone just to be 'godparent for the day' or anyone I didn't think would be there for my kids as they grew up. That was what was important to me.
My mom's sister and her husband are my godparents but even if they weren't my godparents, they would still be my aunt and uncle and they would still be the best! LOL!
I'm very lucky that my godparents played an important role in my life. I lost my dad at a very young age so I was lucky to be surrounded by people who cared about me and who were there for me at such a terrible time. That included my aunt and uncle. If they weren't already family, it's hard to say if they would still be in my life. I'd like to say they would because that's the kind of people they are. But I know a lot of people I know don't really have much contact with their godparents especially if they weren't already family.
I don't have kids yet so godparents aren't something I need to think about. And anyways I'm not religious so I probably wouldn't need to think about it even if I did have kids. But I know how really good godparents can really make a difference to a godchild's life. So if you're going to ask someone to be a godparent, make sure you think long and hard about making the right decision. And if you're going to accept, only do so if you're serious about undertaking this role and all that comes with it.
As some of the guys on here have said, I'm also not religious and neither am I a parent. But the way I see the whole godparent thing is that you choose people you love and trust who you want in your child's life to provide love and extra guidance should they need it. I guess it's like having an honorary aunt or uncle. I don't actually know what it meant centuries ago or anything but I think now, as long as you know someone who's got a good heart, who has your child's best intentions at heart and who you think will be a good influence on your kids then that's all you need to look for in a godparent.
I'm not religious and I don't have kids so this isn't a subject I know a great deal about. But my stepkids are all Christened and they have godparents. One child has a good relationship with hers. one sees his every now and again and one, well the godparents have sort of drifted away. From what I understand, the godparents were chosen because they were people who at the time were special to my husband and my stepkids mum. There was no expectation for them to fulfil certain duties or anything but of course the parents naturally wanted them to be present in the childrens' lives like another aunt or uncle.
I don't think that the godparent role is what it used to be in terms of obligations and duties. I think centuries ago it might of been but not now. But it's still a very special role and it's a great honour to be asked so if you are going to accept to be someone's godparent, it's wise to do so if you really plan on being present in your godchild's life.
I'm not a parent so I don't suppose that this is a topic that I'd have to concern myself with too much. But from what I know about godparents, it's that you pick the people you consider the best for the job whether it's friends or other family members, and then after the ceremony they play a role in the child's life as they grow like a friend or mentor or something. I don't think being a godparent is much more than that to be honest. With me and my siblings, some of us have had godparents who played a fairly active role in our lives while the others haven't so you can never tell how the whole godparent choice is going to pan out in the future.
I don't come from an overly religious family despite my ex-husband's family and my dad being Catholic, so having my kids christened wasn't a big deal for me and it didn't happen. Therefore there was no need to worry about godparents! 😁 I realise that godparents play a role within the christening ceremony. My brother had his kids christened so they took care in choosing the right people for the job. But beyond the ceremony I don't know exactly what it is they do! But as my brother and his wife picked people who are very special to them, I know they will always be present in my niece and nephew's lives.
Hi Fishcakes. Interesting question. I don't come from a particularly religious family so as a result very few of the children are christened, so as you can imagine there isn't much need for Godparents where we're concerned! Though that said, if I needed to find godparents for my children it wouldn't be an issue as we're surrounded by beautiful people, so the only problem would be on narrowing down our choices. I would be very flattered if someone considered my husband and myself ideal godparent material but the honest truth is that I'm not really sure what the duties of a godparent actually are. I realise they have to provide some guidance to the child as the grow up and set a good example but other than that, I don't really know what's involved.