What it takes to be the world’s coolest godmother
ICYMI, Taylor Swift has added another coveted title to her already impressive list of descriptors —godmother! The singer-songwriter-super-human announced that she is going to be the godparent to actress Jaime King’s second child with her husband Kyle Newman. Instagram captured the adorableness, naturally.
Well thinking of our girl Taylor as a godmother, has us thinking about godmother duties like, in general. It seems like so many amazing ladies in our lives are becoming godmothers lately — thanks to our generation *gulp* starting to become MOMS. Crazy town. Yes godparents originally began as the religious guides for their godchildren, but modern times have brought some modern updates to the godmother role. Here are some qualities that are essential for being the best godmother you can be.
Be SUPER invested in their lives
As Taylor has already demonstrated, she’s a completely invested human person. Whether it comes to lovingly stalking her fans on social media, or sending them the very gift they need to lift their spirits and then hand-delivering them their Christmas presents — she’s got this one in the bag. Being a godparent means showing up whenever you can — at sports games, dance recitals, music concerts and all of those other after-school activities that their godchild is participating in. You should take an interest in finding out who their friends are, what they like to do for fun — and, obviously, what their least favorite subject is in school. As a godparent, you should be just as present as an immediate family member would be.
Set a good example
Even when she’s not around to dispense words of Taylor wisdom in person, Swiftie’s future godchild can just press play on any one of her CDs and they will be filled with some of her incredible life wisdom — which just so happens to be a godparent trick of the trade. Godparents are there to give advice, and set good examples. Obviously, a godparent should co-team with the parents to figure out what kind of values they want to share common ground on, but it’s safe to say that there are just some morals that make a lot of sense. Kindness, compassion, selflessness – and of course, devotion to family.
Lend an open ear whenever possible
Being a good listener kind of comes with the good friend territory, right? The same can be said for a godmother. There are some things that the godchild might not want to talk to their parents about — and who better to lend advice than their cool godmother? It might be something as simple as sending an encouraging text or Snapchat video, but it’s little gestures like that which go a long way.
Fill in as a replacement
One of the other responsibilities of being a godmother is stepping up to the plate in case of a birth parent’s absence — whether it means watching after them for a weekend when Mom and Dad are out of town, or worst-case scenario — being a caregiver if one or both of the parents are in need of your support. If someone is asking you to be a godparent to your child, they are basically saying they love and trust you SO much that they’d put their child’s life in your hands. There is truly no greater gift or honor than that.
Being a godmother is serious business and a TRUE honor. Be the best one you can be.
