Asking George Clooney to be the godfather to your kid could either be a very good or a very bad thing – but I’m pretty sure it’s nothing in the middle. It’s either the best idea ever, or the stupidest thing a person could do. George is supposedly pretty fun, would probably buy the kid a lot of great stuffed animals (do kids still like those?) and has a great house on Lake Como. All essential qualities for an awesome godparent. On the other hand, George is a notorious playboy with a penchant for women much younger than him. So if you end up having a daughter, you’d have to keep a close eye on her after her eighteenth birthday. And really, isn’t that the age at which you’d like to start relaxing a little? But Nicole Kidman is either quite sure she’s having a boy, or she really wants access to that Lake Como house, because she’s named George Clooney as her future kid’s godfather.
Nicole Kidman doesn’t know if she is having a baby boy or girl with husband Keith Urban, but she’s already picked out a godfather for the tot – her good pal George Clooney! Now that she’s no longer married to Tom Cruise, Nicole has abandoned the Church of Scientology and has embraced her Catholic roots, so she is planning on having the baby baptized in the Catholic Church, an insider tells Star. “Nicole asked George to be her baby’s godfather, and he agreed.” Nicole has been good friends with George since they starred together in “The Peacemaker” in 1997.
[Star Magazine, print edition, March 24, 2008]
All kidding aside, George strikes me as the kind of guy who’d make a perfect godfather. In fact he kind of makes more sense in that role – or as a cool uncle – than he does as an actual father. Again, probably due to the excessive womanizing and general playboy/bachelor lifestyle. Right after Nicole announced her pregnancy, George told People magazine that she’ll make a perfect mother. The phrasing seemed to ignore the fact that Nicole already is a mother to her two adopted children with ex-husband Tom Cruise, but point taken. Having George as a godfather seems like the perfect counterweight to having Nicole as a mother. One will be a little strict, the other will probably give you a few spoonfuls of champagne at your fifth birthday party. Either way, you’re a pretty lucky kid.
Update: George Clooney’s rep has said that this rumor is not true and that he will not be the godfather for Nicole’s upcoming baby. [In US Weekly, print edition, April 7, 2008]
Clooney might as well be the godfather, since he’s probably the real father too.
They should name the kid Botox.
Does anyone recall the actual role of a godfather? Should Nicole croak, she’s saying she’d want Georgie boy to raise the wrinkless tot.
Nicole is a vampire now, isn’t she?
Well, in Catholicism the point of a godparent is to “stand by” as we’d say in Irish, the child and promise to help the child keep the faith, renounce Satan etc. etc.
Although I’m not sure it actually means “raising” the kid if the parents die – more to act as a moral guardian to make sure it grows up right…
Sorry, have to stop typing, much laughing… Clooney… a moral guardian…. waaaaaahahahhahaha
Mairead, in either case, Clooney is a miserable choice. Unless you want your child to grow up to be a millionaire playboy leaving a stream of bartenders and strippers in his wake.
*still cannot respond as I’m pissing myself laughing at the thought of Clooney as a godfather and having to go to confession before the baptism*
The poor priest will never make it out alive!
If he has to go to confession before the baptism for thoughts alone, they will never make it to the sprinkling. The priest would say three words before Clooney would be jerking his head towards the booth for another go at it.
I think George will make an excellent godfather. He’s not foolish enough to attempt to raise the kid himself as it would get in the way of his dating–so he will hire a fabulous nanny and/or caretaker to raise the child properly. Britney take note!!
I think it is a common misconception that godparents have some sort of role in raising their godchildren if the biological parents were to pass away. I reasearched this recently, here’s what I came to understand:
“Godparents were a tradition invented in the fourth century, while the Romans persecuted the newly-formed Christian church. The godparent, originally called sponsor, was to attest to the faith of and adult who wanted to join the Christian church. The sponsor attested that the adult was not a spy of the Roman authorities. The sponsor also prepared the want-to-be Christian for his new life, says Arthur Magida, a religious expert and author of How to be a Perfect Stranger: A Guide to Etiquette in Other People’s Religions.
Hundreds of years passed and the tradition and role of godparents changed in at least two important ways. Firstly, sponsors had become godparents to infants instead of adults.
Secondly, the belief that people are born sinners changed the chief role of a godparent, from mentoring a new adult Christian, to acting on behalf of a helpless, voiceless infant at their baptism. Even today, in churches with ritualistic practices, godparents take the Profession of Faith in the child’s name during baptism. This same person or persons are responsible for instructing the child in the faith.
GODPARENTING IN 2006
It does not seem to matter which congregation, religion or nonreligious tradition a parent chooses, godparents do have a true role in today’s society. The role may have shifted over the centuries, but they do provide something valuable for our offspring.
“There is a ton of psychological literature that states that children will do better if they have someone in their corner,” said psychologist Susan Tritell at Community Health Link’s Youth and Family Services in Worcester.
“It’s so difficult to raise a family these days,” Cousineau said. Having other adults can help a child grow up successfully, especially during the years that it’s normal to reject mom or dad.”
(from http://www.baystateparent.com/news/2006/0401/Articles/030.html)
Just thought you guys might like to know. I thought it was interesting, and funny how many people really don’t know what godparents are. If you think about it, it would be odd for some essential stranger (as far as courts are concerned) to just take custody of a non-blood related child, considering how difficult child custody cases can be. If anyone knows more or can enlighten me further, I would welcome it!
I’m sure it depends on different influences be they cultural or religious. Where I’m from, godparents are the ones written in your will to raise you children should you die. In the Catholic faith particularly in the hispanic community, they have duties at the baptism and go to classes beforehand. Often times the godparents are the child’s aunt and uncle.
More often than not, though, godparents are friends of the parents who are looked upon as an uncle or aunt. By the time the kid is 5, the parents don’t even know where these people life and by the time the kid is 20, he wasn’t even aware he had godparents.
But I tell you what, there was holy hell raised in my family when my aunt named some stranger as her kid’s godparent when my cousin has two aunts, and uncle and grandparents who could raise him if something happened to them.
I do like Nicole and I wish her the best. This story is from star so am not believing it. George cooled his relationship with Brad Pitt because he can’t get along with Jolie and he can’t stand their kids. But he seems to have fun with Mad on the set of Oceans 13.
Godparents can be strictly a ceremonial religious role, but (at least in the US) can also be legal guardians. It’s especially common in cases like that of myself and my wife, where we have few siblings and our parents are already in their mid-fifties and not in a place to raise a child that’s only 2 years old.
Granted, you have to have it in your will if you actually want them to get your children, but it’s not that odd these days for 2 families to sort of ‘cover each others backs.’ If something happens to us, they get our children, and vice-versa.
The ironic part is that the only people who don’t recognize them as being Godparents is our church, as we’re Catholic and they’re Lutheran. Go figure.
i imagine the whole godfather thing is probably a moot point. the godmother is probably nicole’s sister or a close friend, who if anyone was going to have to step in and raise the little aussie tyke, it would be her. george will probably send the kid cool presents for his birthday and that’ll be it.
and for all his womanizing ways, geo does seem a bit of a family man. proud of his papa, proud of his aunt rosemary. and he appears to be a good friend to all his buds.
And he likes to give it up the bum … I’ll never forget that.
I think he’ll make a terrific godfather! Nicole is definitely got more of the A-list actors in her corner than Tom does. Who was Suri’s godfather – David Miscaviage? (shiver)
Not happening. Rep has denied it.
Clooney will be an excellent godfather…………..I know ….he’s my kid godfather….hehehe….
This is the way things should be, get off what we are on now
May be if my parents had been more strict, I would have not made so many of the mistakes I have made in life, but its all good.