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Posted by Mommy Woobie on December 30th, 2007 in Family Quirks

I don’t know if this is the same in other countries, but in the Philippines, the godparents carry the gift-giving “obligation” during the Holidays and birthdays more than the parents and relatives of the child.

Ninong/Ninang is the term we use here for godparents.

I remember a time in my childhood when I was reprimanded sharply for asking for gifts from my godparents. My mom’s words shamed me to tears as the implication sank in my 12-year-old mind. It is wrong… so wrong to ‘extort’ money or gifts from godparents because it is like cheapening their essence. This was explained to me during Christmas and I spent the whole hour in Misa de Gallo reflecting on godparents and their roles in a child’s life.

Godparents become such because they were the ones who witnessed the child undergo some of the Holy Sacraments such as baptism and confirmation (under the Catholic faith). Also, they are a kid’s surrogate parents. In the instance that the child might need guidance and his/her parents are not available, the godparents are the ones who provide guidance.

I think of my godparents now and realize that my folks chose them primarily because of their proximity, values and principles. My primary ninong is my dad’s best friend, a very responsible father who dotes on his daughters. Another ninong of mine is our neighbor, who used to drive me to Manila when no other driver was available. And one ninang is my mom’s co-teacher when she was just starting in her teaching career. She’s my favorite because she still thinks of me as a little girl until now, and treats me like one too whenever we see each other.

When we decided on who to assign as godparents for AJ, we chose the most dependable among our friends; those who are focused on making their lives better. This way, we are reassured that our child will be in good hands if we ever fail in our obligations as parents and leave him under the care of these people.