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“How wonderful life is….with Gaga in the world,” sang Sir Elton John in a duet with the Lady herself last year. He and his partner, David Furnish, aparantly feel she will be particularly wonderful in their new son Zachary’s world — they’ve named Lady Gaga as his godmother.
What qualified Gaga for the role? It wasnt her taste in over-the-top stage outfits. “When you get to the real person under there, there’s a very simple New York girl who loves her parents,” John said in a 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters, adding that they also wanted Zachary to have a woman’s influence growing up.
Godparents have traditionally played a religious role – charged with helping a child stay on the spiritual path of their family’s faith. They also were the child’s designated guardian should something happen to her parents. (Nowadays, you need to designate a guardian for your child through an official legal document.)
Modern parents (like John and Furnish) are choosing godparents regardless of their religious beliefs or custodial intentions -- they do it instead to honor a special grownup in their child’s life. Here's how iVillage Community members see it:
“Back in the day it was the person you wanted to raise your child in the event something happened to you. Now I think it's more a role model and another go-to person for the child,” says just_another_mom.
“The title can be as symbolic or as meaningful as you want it to be,” adds kathleen08012.
"I do feel that I have an extra special bond with my two god-children. It's hard to say if I feel any extra responsibilities or tasks as a god-parent... I see it as more of an honor. A designation that says you mean something to the parents and they want you to be an extra special part of their child's life" susan013109
Our take? Just try to pick someone who will love your child, set a good example for her, and have a shot at remembering her birthday.
Got more questions about godparents? Join the conversation.
