Picking the Right Ninongs and Ninangs for your Child

I wrote this article for a testing assignment and I want to share my thoughts on getting ninongs and ninangs (godparents) for baptism, which is very important in a child's life. I already posted this before here but I want to post it again because I just attended the baptism of the daughter of two of my college close friends, Kharlo and Honey.  I want to emphasize more the importance of picking the right godparents for your child.

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Last Saturday, I came from the baptism/dedication of the daughter of our close college friends, Kharlo and Honey.  They are both my bf and I’s barkada and they were the first among us to have a child.  So what makes this extra special is this was our first time attending a baptism among our close circle of friends.  Years ago, we never thought that one day we will be attending baptisms among us.  But now, we are attending the first of those baptisms/dedications.  While I am not a ninang (godmother in English) here, my boyfriend is the ninong (godfather in English) because he was a kabarkada (close circle of friends) of Kharlo.  It was here I realized how very important it is to pick the ninongs and ninangs for your child and I was glad to see that both the father and mother took this into consideration for their first daughter, Stella Felise aka Zschech.  This is why I decided to post this old post and re-edit it in accordance to the baptism I recently attended.

Ninongs with Parents and Child, Kharlo, Honey and Zschech

Ninangs with Parents and Child, Kharlo, Honey and Zschech

For first time parents, the first ever event in their child’s life that they would worry is baptism. This is one of the most important church sacraments because a newcomer is welcomed in the Christian world. And one of the important aspects in baptism is getting godparents. Ninongs and ninangs should serve as “second parents” and guide the child in everything that he or she does. They are the ones whom the parents know and are confident in helping their child grow.  In this case, parents should pick their kabarkada, relatives, close friends, close officemates and the like as godparents because these are the people who are trustworthy and are sure to be of help not only to the child but also to the parents.

But when you take a look at most baptisms at the present time, they are not this way.  I do not say all parents are like this, but a lot of them tend to pick godparents who are mostly either popular or rich and will most likely give gifts and money to their godchildren during special occasions (birthdays, Christmas, etc). And because of this, godparents have been known to be givers of gifts rather than being “second parents”. This should not be the case at all because picking godparents is not just about material things, but about responsibility as well because they also have to take care of their godchildren---especially when the parents are not there anymore. 

The happy family

In the baptism of Zschech, I am proud to say Kharlo and Honey saw the importance of picking godparents and made the right choice of who they got.  I am not saying this because my boyfriend is the ninong, but because we both know majority of those they picked and we knew their first daughter is in good hands as she grows up.  Most of the ninongs and ninangs of Zschech are our close college friends that, even though are in their own paths, still make it a point to see Kharlo and Honey once in awhile and gather just to bond. The others are relatives of the married couple, so they are also trustworthy.  So in case the parents need somebody to look after Zschech, I am sure the ninongs and ninangs will really be there to do that.  And I think that is just one of the qualities that parents should look for in picking the godparents.

If parents want the best for their child, they must remember the following in choosing godparents:

1. 1.   You must consider people who give credence to the solemnity of baptism/dedication and know the meaning of it. I believe this is one thing godparents should know---the importance of baptism/dedication.  This is the time when the child will be welcomed in the Christian world and that they have God in their life until the end. While the child still won’t understand the sacrament of baptism, at least the godparents do and will explain that to him/her in the future.  
   
   
   2.      It is better to pick godparents who have been your close friends or relatives, not the popular or rich people whom you just met a few months ago. Just like what ,Kharlo and Honey did with their child Zschech, they picked their close friends and relatives to be her godparents.  They have known them throughout the years and have confidence that they will help their child in any way they can. Godparents could be your best friends, kabarkadas, aunties/uncles, cousins and the like.
   
   
   3.  There is already the fact that godparents will give gifts to his/her godchildren on special occasions, but that’s just the minor part. Godparents should also make their presence felt in the child’s life most of the time, if not always. For instance, while I give gifts to my godson once in awhile, I make sure I give it to him in person and that I make my presence felt to him.  Even without any occasion, I go to their house not only to visit the parents but him as well. At least parents must know if the godparents will make an effort to communicate with them so that he/she can see their godchild even if there is no special occasion. It may not show now, but the child will be very thankful when he/she is an adult for having responsible godparents who care about him/her and making their presence felt.
   
   
   4.      The godparents are people that parents truly trust and know that if ever anything happens to you, they will be there to take care of your child.  As I have said above, parents should choose godparents in whom they will trust when something happens bad to them. At least the parents will know their child is in good hands while they are gone and that they don’t have to worry about a thing.  For instance, one of the emcees in the reception of the baptism told the godparents that if Kharlo and Honey needed to have a second honeymoon, they can leave Zschech in the godparents hands and will take care of her.  That was meant as a joke, but you get what I mean. 
   
   

All I said above are based on personal opinions and I believe there are more that should be remembered in choosing godparents.  But in short, it does not matter if the number of your child’s godparents is four pairs or fourteen pairs. What is important is they are responsible and deserving ninongs and ninangs who will care for the child’s life and will always be there whether they are needed or not.

~hainrihi