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Original poster

Godparents - out of curiosity

12 replies

peartatty · 06/12/2015 16:03

If you have godparents, did your parents choose family, friends or a mix of both for you and your siblings? And what did you do for your own DC, if applicable?

Just curious as DH and I were talking about it and wondering if it's more common to choose friends than it used to be - and now I'm also just feeling nosy!

OP posts:
chrisrobin · 06/12/2015 16:10

My parents chose 2 friends from church and 1 extended family member, my siblings and I all have the same godparents as each other.

My DH and I chose 3 friends for DS1 (one couple and one single friend) and 4 for DS2 (the same couple as DS1 and the single friend and her husband as she had since married).

We didn't choose family because we felt they already had an important place in our DCs lives. We wanted the boys to have more people around them that they could turn to if they needed advice that they felt perhaps family couldn't give them, or that they would be uncomfortable asking family about. My parents thinking was similar- to give us an 'outside' ear.

Dreamiesrcatopium · 06/12/2015 16:16

My godparents were friends of my parents. Apparently I met them as a little one... Wouldn't know if they were living or dead now! I'm a godmother 4 times over, with another godbaby on the way. All are family children.

Original poster
peartatty · 06/12/2015 17:11

I was baptised as an adult and chose my own sponsors. DH's are family members and I assumed that was quite common but think it's nice to choose people who don't already have a role.

OP posts:
RiverTam · 06/12/2015 17:16

I chose friends. I'm my niece's godmother but 99% of the time I forget than I am - I'm her aunt first and foremost.

trilbydoll · 06/12/2015 17:18

Mine are my aunties which I think is daft, they're aunties already, they didn't need another role. We've picked friends for both dc.

DH's family have a family friend and noone can remember whose godfather he is, whether it's DH or BIL. That always makes me laugh!

Lovelydiscusfish · 06/12/2015 17:53

We chose our best friends (a couple) and my brother.

MrsJoyless · 06/12/2015 18:10

My Godparents are friends of my parents. I agree that there is no point choosing family as they already care about the DC and my take on it is that you are trying to create extra relationships for them. However, DH's Godparents are family which is how they do it in his family. As a result, then, our DC have a mixture of friends and family.

cdtaylornats · 06/12/2015 22:28

I am a godfather to a friends daughter, but her godmother is her aunt. Over the years she has certainly seen me more often than her aunt and certainly seen me sober a lot more often than anyone has seen her aunt in that state.

PeasOnEarth · 14/12/2015 02:43

I was baptised as an adult without sponsors - DH was baptised s an infant and had his fathers closest friends as godparents . I think I would choose someone whose faith I respect and who would take seriously that role in encouraging the child in their walk with God - not necessarily my closest friend iyswim. If they have children, then someone whose parenting you would emulate, especially around spiritual things.

namelessposter · 14/12/2015 09:24

We chose a male and female friend both times (separately, not a couple) - and people we had know for 20 yrs or so. All bar one of the women have since drifted out of our lives (not for want of trying on our part) and haven't had anything to do with their godchildren since 6 months after the ceremony, which we're sad about. Wish we had chosen better.

Spidertracker · 14/12/2015 09:30

I'm not baptised, but my cousins all have a combination of my parents and other aunts and uncles.
If I was to have my children baptised then I would choose DB and SIL, who I have nominated as guardians in or wills.
I wouldn't pick a friend as I feel friendships come and go, I had had the same best friend for over 20 years when DS was born, I have drifted apart and not seen him for 5 years or so.

LadyCassandra · 14/12/2015 09:37

For DS1 we weren't what I would now call Christian, and we were pushed into choosing DH's siblings by his family. I was very much "if we have yours, we have mine too" but I also wanted two relatives who had really helped in my pregnancy and the early days, so we ended up with a party of five Blush
When we had DS2 baptised we were committed Christians so chose 3 people who are also committed Christians who would abide by the vows they made at the baptism, to help bring him up in the Christian faith.

My parents chose siblings (I think!)

I think most people now think as chrisrobin does, that family already have a special place so Godparents are different.

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