We have 2 friends we'd like to be godparents to the DDs, but we are atheists and have already had 'naming days' for both of them ...

[franch]

What should we do, other than just saying 'Would you like to be godparents?'? We'd like to formalise it in some way I think, no idea how. DDs are 16m and 3y.

Obviously the word godparent isn't very appropriate either ...

What exactly are you asking your friends to do? I wouldn't have thought the standard theoretical duties of godparents would apply to atheists (though of course I realise most godparents don't follow the job description).

agree woth hallgerda - you need to work what exactly you want their role to be. If you ant them to be guardians for your DDs then I would just ask them but otherwise, it seems a bit of an odd request

What about 'guardians'?

My mum gave me 'life-teachers' who where friends of hers and dads that she thought had great values and interesting ways of seeing things. When ever they came to visit, i would ask for a new 'lesson'. It was fun and i think of them fondly.

my dp and I are "godparents" to a little girl - both we and her parents are atheist and so we have just jokingly called ourselves her "godlessparents".

When our friends asked us to do it, they said they wanted us to be a special part of her life - sort of like honorary aunties. So it's not for spiritual guidance like a normal godparent would be, but just to be there for her, spend time with her on her own, look out for her if anything ever happens to her parents..that sort of thing.

I think weasel & squid have answered you, hallgerta & tommy. But any ideas beyond just saying 'You are their godparents [substitute appropriate term] - ta-da!' ??

We have a godfather for the sluglet even though both the pair of us and him are atheists. We named him in our wills as someone whose opinion should be sought if all the eventualities we accounted for were exceeded i.e. if both my parents and dh's parents and my siblings all predeceased us while the sluglet was a minor.

He calls himself her fairy godfather and takes his duties very seriously, teaching her Marxist theory at 3.

How about asking them round for a special lunch and giving them a card asking them to be your dc's XXX (whatever term you want to call it). You could also write what you would like them to do in such a role.

This gives them a chance to take the card away, have a read and a think and not being embarrassed if they don't want to do it... not that anyone would refuse.... I don't think.

poppies that's perfect. Thank you. And thanks slug