The Role of a Godparent

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Maddie’s godmothers are my long time friends, Mionna, Dorothy and Tia (as pictured from left to right in the photo below). I clearly didn’t think things through when I made the decision to choose all of them to be her godmother knowing I would have more children eventually. They all totally adore Maddie though and often find ways to love on and celebrate her whenever they can.

I chose these ladies because I love them and because they know me better than anyone else, having known me most of my life.  I chose them because should something happen to me I would want them to keep in touch with Maddie.  To tell her stories about me.  For them to be a listening ear when she needed advice.  For Maddie to still have a piece of me through them because they knew me so very well.

I did not choose them with the expectation that they would shower my child with gifts during the baby shower, birthdays, holidays and the like.  They aren’t expected to help me with expenses associated with her parties, education, you name it.  They do things for her but it’s not expected, and again not why they were chosen.  My only expectation for them is for them to be there for her emotionally and to be present in her life if she ever needs them, especially if I were to go on to glory too soon.

I’ve also found that a lot of parents choose godparents so that should something happen to both them and their partner at the same time the godparents would become the guardians.  This isn’t an expectation that I have of Maddie’s godparents as we have individuals in our family we would like to take this on if it where ever necessary.  But for those who do choose godparents as potential guardians, considering what’s required from a legal aspect isn’t often thought through.  If this is your reasoning for selecting a godparent I encourage you to take steps to ensure that there is documentation in place that makes this clear.

 “Generally, a godparent-godchild relationship is characterized by spiritual or moral advising to the child and his or her family, and godparents’ rights to child custody are not often discussed as a possibility.” – Family Law

Everyone should have a will, but I believe that it becomes all the more critical to have one when you become a parent.  If you haven’t thought through this sort of thing; who you would want to raise your children and any other wishes you might have, I suggest that you put something in place as soon as possible.  Let’s make sure that we prepare for the worse, while praying for a long and fruitful life, so that our children are covered should God have a different plan.

I’d love to hear what you had in mind when you chose your child(ren)’s godparents.  Share your thoughts in the comments.

Be Intentional,

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Top Photo by Kristen Curette
Godmother Photo by Shaudia Sanders