Usually, godparents are associated with religion and are prevalent in the Catholic religion.
The role of a godparent in a child’s life could look very different from one family to the next, and the extent of the role they play in your child’s upbringing is ultimately up to you.
Should twins have the same godparents? Choosing a godparent for your twins is a very personal decision. Selecting different godparents for your twins could help the twins feel more like individuals, but sharing godparents could guarantee equal treatment. Certain churches have strict guidelines about godparents, so research first.
Choosing Godparents for Twins – Considerations
A godparent can be a very special person in a child’s life. Because twins double the responsibility, here are some things to think about.
1. Your Church’s Rules
The Catholic church takes the practice of selecting a godparent most seriously.
Typical requirements are that the godparent must be a man or woman who is not the baby’s mother or father.
They must be over 16 years old and have received the sacraments of communion and confirmation. They must also be practicing and active members of the church.
If parents select two godparents for their baby, it must be one man and one woman. Some denominations of Protestant churches will have similar requirements, but often, they are not as strict.
2. The Number of Potential Candidates
Depending on your church’s rules, you might be left with only a couple of people who meet the requirements.
This fact will obviously affect your ability to choose different godparents for your twins. For this reason, many parents select the same godparents for all of their children.
3. Separate Godparents Reinforce Twins’ Individuality
Selecting different godparents for your twins could help provide them with more individuality. Having separate people to “call their own” could make them feel special and unique.
4. Sharing Godparents Means Equal Treatment
The same godparent for both your kids should help ensure they are treated equally.
Some twins who have different godparents might find that one person is more invested in the role than another. Selecting the same person could eliminate that problem.
5. Would Godparents Be Willing to Take Responsibility For Two?
Being chosen to be a godparent is an honor not to be taken lightly. It involves long-term commitment and responsibility.
Additionally, sometimes a child’s godparents are also listed in the parent’s will as the legal guardian in case the parents pass away.
When selecting godparents for twins, it’s very important to ask if they would be comfortable taking on the responsibility for two kids instead of one.
6. Do Your Other Kids Have the Same Godparent?
Some parents select the same godparent for all of their children, whether they have twins or not. This can make the decision easier for parents, especially if their church has stringent requirements.
If your older children all have separate godparents, it would be only fair to provide different godparents for your twins as well.
Should you select different godparents for all of your children, you might want to only list one person or family as the legal guardian in your will so that children aren’t separated if the unthinkable happens.
How To Choose Godparents
Parents will hopefully have a lot of family and friends to select from when choosing godparents.
Parents should think about the unique qualities that their friends and family possess that might be passed on to their children.
Godparents should be responsible people who are invested in being role models and advisors to their godchildren.
Parents also must decide if they want to make the godparent a legal guardian that they trust to raise their child in the event of their death.
Related Questions:
Do You Have To Be Catholic To Be Godparents?
If you are baptizing your child into the Catholic faith, the godparents you select need to be practicing Catholics. If you are dedicating your child in a different denomination, being Catholic is not a requirement.
Are Godparents Legal Guardians?
Godparents are not legal guardians unless specified in a will or legally binding document.
Closing Thoughts
Godparents can be a great blessing to your child as they are growing up. Twins present new questions to consider when selecting a godparent.
There is no “wrong” choice when choosing a godparent, but there are many things to consider, and as always, it’s a bit more tricky when you have two babies to consider rather than one.
As a twin mom herself, Nikki is passionate about helping moms and twin parents learn how to manage their chaos better. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing Marriage and Family Therapy.