Godparents and mentors
Whether you name other adults with a special role in your child's life, such as secular godparents or mentors, besides the legal guardian.
Should we choose godparents or mentors for our child?
In short: Parents choose between 3 main approaches: Legal guardian only; Guardian plus honorary secular godparents; Neither yet. Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: during pregnancy.
- Evidence
- Your call
- Best settled
- During pregnancy
- Part of
- The family system
Godparents and mentors: what are the options?
Parents usually land on one of these 3 approaches.
1. Legal guardian only
You name only the person who would raise the child if you died.
2. Guardian plus honorary secular godparents
You name a guardian and also ask close friends to play a special, non-religious role.
3. Neither yet
You have not chosen anyone.
Godparents and mentors: what does the evidence say?
Your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide.
No sourced data
What else is worth knowing?
A legal guardian is the person who would raise your child if you both died, named in a will. A godparent, in a secular sense, is an adult asked to take a special interest in the child. The two roles can be the same person or different people.
Questions to ask each other
- Is there someone we would want in this role?
- What do we want them to do for our child?
- How would we ask them?
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First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.