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Asking for a godfather or godmother and becoming a godfather or godmother

Asking for a godfather and godmother for an upcoming baby comes from a tradition of the Catholic Church. Nowadays it is also seen separately and many (future) parents still ask for godfathers and godmothers. How do you ask someone to become a godfather or godmother and if you have asked: how do you answer that question?

Consider whether you want a godfather and godmother for the upcoming baby

Partly because the term godparents has a religious background, more and more (future) parents are deciding not to choose godparents for the baby they are expecting. However, godparents can be seen separately from religion and everyone can give their own interpretation. The different interpretations have also given rise to different names for godparents, such as the pampered uncle and pampered aunt or the candy uncle and candy aunt.

Because you can fill it in as you wish, it can be fun to ask godparents. Isn’t it nice for every child to receive extra attention from the godparents?! To avoid any misunderstanding, first the following: it is no longer the case that a godfather or godmother really has to be family and must become an uncle or aunt. You can also ask close friends to take on this task. In addition, nowadays it is also regularly chosen to choose two godmothers or two godfathers, in short, everything can be done the way you want!

Does it not appeal to you at all what you have read so far and what is said in this article about the possible interpretation? Then you simply choose not to ask for godparents for the upcoming baby!

How do you fill in the role of godparent?

How godparenthood is implemented depends on the expectant parents and the people who are asked to be godparents. If there is any doubt, it never hurts to ask each other questions about what the expectations are. This can prevent disappointment at a later stage.

As future parents you have an idea of what you expect from the godparents, after all, this often arises from the fact that you ask godparents and who you ask for that. Is it actually just symbolic or is it the intention that the godparents regularly do something fun with the godchild or are they the designated foster parents if something happens to the real parents? These are all possibilities and, especially when there are serious expectations, both parties must be aware of them.

In general, godparenthood involves giving slightly larger presents on the birthday and spending just a little more time than with the other children. In this way, the child will quickly get a special feeling with the godparents and may feel more at home there than with other family members or friends.

It is nice for children to see that godparents fulfill their role as godparents more or less equally. A child’s godparents can be partners, but can also be separate and hardly know each other. It can be good to discuss any differences in the interpretation of godparenthood, so that the child is not spoiled enormously by one godparent with gifts and activities and hardly sees the other godparents. It is of course not a problem, but that can also cause disappointment for the parents and/or the child. Even when godparents have multiple godchildren and treat them differently, this can cause unpleasant emotions. However, there is no need to worry about this if you simply see godparenthood as a small extra privilege.

How do you ask a godfather or godmother and who do you ask for that?

Before you ask a godfather or godmother, you should of course think about who you want to ask. It is good to think about what role you have in mind for the godparents to fill and who would be a good fit for that role. In addition, it is good to consider who would like to see it and who might expect to be chosen as godparents. That certainly doesn’t mean that you should choose those people who expect it, but you can handle it better if you decide to choose someone else. For example, if you know that your sister expects to become a godmother and you still want to choose your partner’s sister or a good friend, it might be a good idea to tell your sister who will be a godmother and why. In this way, you take into account the feelings of the person who expected and probably hoped to become a godparent, and thus fewer feelings of jealousy or disappointment may arise and there will be room for joy about the arrival of the baby.

Once you have decided who you would like to be godparents for the upcoming baby, there comes a time to ask in a certain way. There are many different options for this. For the moment, you can choose to ask at the same time as you tell them a baby is on the way or you decide to ask later. You can also choose to choose both godparents together or separately. Only you can decide what is best for you and may depend on the way you want to ask. You can simply ask the question or you can do it in a special way, such as with a card with a poem, a note or by taking them somewhere. You can also use special situations that arise: holidays, birthdays or perhaps a wedding or pregnancy of the person(s) you want as godparents. For example, you can think of a gift that gives a hint (a nice book in that direction) or you give a photo of the ultrasound with the question: Would you like to become my godfather/godmother?

When you think about that, you can probably come up with something, but otherwise you will think of the following: being asked to be a godparent is an honor and something to be proud of for everyone and that alone is so much fun that the method of asking doesn’t really matter. ! The fact that you are chosen and godfather or godmother may not make tomorrow any better, because it is already so special!!!

Gift tip

As a godfather or godmother, you often want to give a special gift at the birth of the child. That is often difficult, because everyone initially thinks of clothes or cuddly toys. Because it can often be a slightly more expensive gift, you might want to think further about whether you can add a practical side to the gift. For example, a baby monitor is very useful and fun to give. Always keep the receipt so that it can be exchanged if they already have it or want another one. You could also consider a children’s (dining) chair, a play mat or a playpen cushion.

Undoing the godparentship

People are regularly asked how to undo godparenthood. This may be the wish of the child’s parents, but also of the godparents. If the godparents are also registered as godparents for the church, you can contact the church to discuss whether this should be formally arranged. Otherwise, the godparentship can easily be undone: namely by expressing this to the other party. There is nothing formally set in stone when appointing godparents. If the godparents have been registered as guardians by the notary, you must contact the notary to have this adjusted.