Godparenthood could be good for putting together basketball team

I’m collecting godchildren like a paleontologist collects bones.


I added a third one to my collection on Sunday, my wife’s sister’s son whom I call Silvio. His name is actually Steven, but everybody calls him Little Stevie, since his father’s name is also Steven. Taking it several steps further, I started calling him Little Steven, which is Steven Van Zandt’s nickname as a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, but changed my nickname to Silvio, the name of the character Little Steven played on HBO’s “The Sopranos.” It’s a complicated nickname, but complicated ones should come from a godfather.

I became a godfather for the first time in the late 1990s to a newborn cousin, Alex. It was an exciting moment for me, as I was still a fairly young, single man who knew children were not anywhere in my near future. For all I knew, I thought I might never get married and might never have any kids. It was nice knowing if that were to occur, someone was available to inherit whatever little I made in my chosen career.

Perpetual bachelorhood didn’t happen, though, as I got married in 2003 and had a son in 2005. Instead of accepting a request to become a godparent, I could now select godparents for my son. We chose my wife’s sister and my stepfather, two people we believed could deliver as our son’s religious guides should we be unable to do so. My stepfather was a no-brainer, as he is a religious leader and a catechism teacher at his church. In addition, since he married my mother long after I left the house, we felt this would allow him to have a closer bond with his grandson he might not have felt he could have.

Within a year of having a son, I garnered my second godson, Taylor, the son of my sister and her husband. With two godsons and one son, I felt pretty good. While I’ve never had the privilege of standing up as a best man or groomsmen in a wedding, becoming a father-figure seemed much more special. It’s an honor reserved for the best of the best, and one bestowed upon me twice.

So when my wife’s sister asked us to become the godparents to Silvio, I was ecstatic. Three godchildren and a son; I’m just one godson/son short of putting together a basketball team, which could be a great team if all of the boys inherit their parents’ height.

I know being a godparent comes with specific responsibilities, mainly to be the person my godchildren can talk to when they are older. My godmother, my aunt Connie, is someone I’ve always felt comfortable talking to and seeking advice from, and I hope to be that person for my godchildren. I want to be the parental figure that comes without some of the negative connotations that automatically apply to real parents.

I can’t imagine collecting any more godchildren, but nothing in this world is predictable. Maybe I’ll get that basketball team, or maybe I’ll end up with a football team. In any case, I’ll cherish the ones I have and gladly welcome any more that might come.
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Originally published in The Portage County Gazette on Friday, Oct. 21, 2011.