Iona Joy

Someone to Watch over Me - an Essential Guide to Godparenting Iona Joy

In the UK alone there are more godparents in existence than parents. Year after year hundreds of thousands of responsible adults get asked to become godparents and accept without quite knowing what exactly is expected of them and how they might best try and fulfill the role. Someone to watch over me sets out to explain where the tradition of godparents comes from, what is involved in being a godparent, how parents should choose godparents for their children and provide ideas and resources for how godparents can perform the role better. Desmond Tutu in the foreword says, "Godparents form part of the community looking to guard the child and help him or her realise their full potential. This book provides practical ways to assist parents in choosing the godparents for their children - people who can play a vital role in the child's growth. It also provides guidance and ideas to help godparents perform the role in a very busy world where the building of relationships is ever important " The decline of extended families, increased social mobility and the concomitant impermanence of social networks, frequent break-up of marriages etc. leads to a greater need for godparents in the life of a child than ever before. Underlying this book is the strong belief held by the authors that godparenting is an enriching aspect of life today and in the 21st century has an ever important role to play.