Do your kids have Godparents?

[busybee995]

Recently had a baby and wondering if Godparents are still a thing nowadays...?

They are if you have your child baptised. Otherwise, no.

I don't believe in a god, so haven't had them christened, so they don't have godparents.

I have friends who do believe and their children are christened with godparents.

Depends on if you have them baptised surely?

That's interesting, as I have a friend who's an atheist and didn't christen her child but they still have godparents

No, we have no religious belief.

Yes but, to be honest, we didn't choose anyone who we knew would play an active role in dd's life. Strange as it sounds we didn't really want that but we did want DD baptised. We chose a husband and wife who we had made friends with over the previous few years in connection with my medical condition, were excellent role models but we weren't joined at the hip if that makes sense.

We did see godparents occasionally afterwards but eventually we lost touch and they eventually moved back to their home country many years ago.

We still feel we made the best choice as since then we have also lost touch with many others we could have chosen so it worked out fine for us.

No, ds isn't Christened.

Yes. And I am a godmother. Only once ever had to deploy my godmother powers. 15 year old was being an arsehole to his younger brother. I told him that if he didn't stop I would encourage said younger brother to make his life a misery at GCSE time.

No. We didn’t have our children christened as felt it was hypocritical as we don’t attend church and don’t really have any beliefs.

We did have a naming day for each of them when they were about 8 mths old. We invited family and friends and just celebrated the arrival of a healthy child.

I’m afraid I’m not a fan of people who never set foot in church otherwise, then having their child christened ‘for the party’. Very poor in my opinion.

Yes. Hatch, match and despatch CofE. It's a way of creating a bond that is special and permanent. Depends on who you chose of course. My godparents were a big part of my life. My child has adults who have permission to be a bit more involved because they are godparents. I hold back with involvement until someone would say something like "We aren't having a christening but would you act as godparent anyway?"

I genuinely don’t understand how this would work without having a baptism. Who is the vow made in front of, and in whose name? And why would you call them godparents?

My children aren't christened, but I am god mother to 3 of my friends children, soon to be 4.

Yes. We are hypocrites. They were christened in our local Catholic Church to enable them to go to to the best sought after primary and secondary schools in the area.
Now 20 and 18 and they rarely see their godparents who were happy to be used as a means to an end. We did it for them too. I suspect it's not unusual though yes, highly hypocritical.

No

In that case, how are the godparents?

Mine do, they're family members and we're all very close.

Both my children have godparents. We were careful to choose people who would be there for them since most of the members of our families live overseas. This has been valuable for both. Their godparents have watched them play rugby, taken them out for pizza, acted as a sounding board when relationships were strained. It's been lovely.

Are you getting confused with guardians? God parents role is looking after the faith of the child.

Godparents only if the child is baptised. I was legal guardian (ie named in Will) for a friend's now-adult child, but not officially her godmother as she was not christened. But all of the responsibility attaches to the guardianship.

How can you have godparents if you aren't Christened?

My dc are Christened and do have godparents.

No. DD wasn't christened.

Erm, sorry to break it to her, but they aren't actually Godparents if they haven't made their commitments to the child during a baptism service!

Assuming she just uses the term like others call everyone auntie? What difference does that make?

There’s a widespread misperception that godparents have some kind of legal ‘guardian’ status in the event of both parents dying. I blame Sirius Black.

Yes, mine have godparents as they were christened.

I do know some people who have held onto the relationship without the religious element. My friend had a naming ceremony for her children at which the godparents committed to being part of the children’s lives/being an extra adult invested in their welfare/someone to have an individual relationship with them separately from their siblings/someone for them to go to if they ever can’t talk to their parents etc. All of which is distinct from a guardian who would raise them if the parents died (which is my sister).

Equally, a couple of times I’ve made the godparental vows in church for nieces/nephews (as I will always be involved in their lives anyway) when the friends chosen to be godparents aren’t confirmed/are another religion/didn’t feel comfortable about the religious promises.

Nope. My DC aren't christened.

Nope, and have refused the invite to be a godparent for others, mainly as I have no religious beliefs, and also because the parents didn't attend church except for the fun events