Is it unusual to have no godparents?

[windmills88]

Do your children have godparents and if so, who are they and how many? Do most kids have godparents or is it quite unusual these days?

I wasn't planning to have any for our first child and wasn't going to have a christening either, but DH is keen - even though we're not religious.

I'm just wondering what most people do really!

*my children haven't had or won't have naming ceremonies, I just seem to see it more often now as an alternative to christenings

My kids are christened but no godparents. DS was doing confirmation classes at school (CofE primary) and we were told children didn’t need to be christened to do the classes but the vicar would do a special service prior to the actual confirmation.

Vicar missed DS off the list so we didn’t get to go to the formal christening with the other kids. Rather we got a late night christening with just me and DH present. Vicar did DD at the same time.

Vicars view was confirmation was more important as the child was choosing to do it rather than passive act of christening a baby. It was actually rather lovely,

I don’t have any but my mum is a god parent.

Of course it's not unusual. Anyone who isn't christened had no godparents! they aren't a thing in my family at all as they are all baptists (apart from those if us who have escaped into atheism!), and they don't do christenings.

Neither DH nor I come from a Christian background. Would be very strange indeed if our children had them.

I was brought up as a practicing Catholic, so I had godparents. I stopped going to church and became an atheist when I was 15, so the term ‘ ‘godparent’ ceased to have any meaning at that point. The people concerned continued to be family friends, but no more than that.

It strikes me as a tv/ church thing, not a 'most people in the uk' thing.

We're not Christian so neither of our families have been christened so we don't have godparents. It's an unusual concept in my culture to have godparents. We have appointed guardians for our children which is a similar idea. As Britain is multicultural and diverse, you will find that loads of people haven't been christened. Don't do it if you don't believe in it as that's what it's about after all, faith.

No because we're atheists and they're not christened.

Not sure, but my 3 don't have any and are not christened as I'm not religious.

im a atheist and we are a atheist household so no christenings or any religious celebrations when they were babies

boys are 15 and 9

i dont know many theses days that do christenings anymore

If you are planning on baptising your kids they have godparents. If you don't then they dont. My kids were baptised older once they were old enough to consent, one at 11, the other at 18, they have sponsors instead

I’d think it would be unusual to have godparents, given that not even all Christians have them. I’m Church of Scotland, so no godparents.

I'm not religious so my DS doesn't have godparents.

If you are not religious surely you don't have godparents or a christening? None in my family in 5 generations at least.

Both DH and I have/had Godparents as we are both from devoutly Catholic families. My three godparents are all dead now but I was very close to them while they were alive. DH has one of his three still alive and he has regular contact with her although she now lives in another country.

If you are planning on baptising your kids they have godparents. If you don't then they dont.

Nope, not necessarily.

I had godparents. I remember meeting my godfather once when I was about 5. I may have met him before but can't remember. He was the brother of my mother's best friend. I don't remember my godmother st all, although I've seen photos. She was another close friend of my mum but they lost touch.

When my (quite a lot younger) sibling was born, my parents chose close family instead of friends.

So, I don't think it matters if you have them or not, as you may not see them much anyway .

I don't have any godparents.

My children weren't christened so have no godparents. I was christened and do have Christian beliefs, but I also always believed that my children could follow their own beliefs when they were old enough to choose and I would respect their choices. My eldest child is a Christian, but hasn't had their children christened either, and my youngest is an atheist.

No godparents in my family, though I can see how it might be appealing if you don't have many living relatives and would like to encourage a special relationship or bond. Of course, that bond isn't guaranteed by or dependent upon "godparenthood".

No, because neither the ex or I are religious & it would be massively hypocritical to have a christening & choose godparents, who promise in front of a group of people to assist in the spiritual upbringing of the child!

Our kids have neither godparents nor a god.

I have no godparents and neither do my children. My DH has godparents but can’t remember who they are.

MIL was horrified that we didn’t get DC christened/baptised/whatever, and so said that she had done it herself to DS when we were staying with her. She has been taught to an advanced level in Catholicism apparently, so was allowed .

It’s certainly not unusual.

I wasn’t christened and have no godparents. Same for my children and grandchildren. I have no godchildren and I wouldn’t agree to it. Bizarre thing to do in my opinion