By: Natasha Archary
Never has a topic garnered more disagreement on Kaya Drive than the issue of Godparents vs Guardians.
Sizwe Dhlomo was adamant that godparents do not have a vital role in the upbringing of a child in the absence of the parents.
The ladies on the team disagreed with Siz entirely citing that the role a godparent takes can go beyond spiritual upbringing.
Legally speaking, Siz was correct in that guardians have a legal right to raise and oversee a child’s upbringing should something happen to the parents.
This isn’t to say that a godparent cannot be a designated guardian.
Godparents
The role of a godparent came about from the church. It is more a moral and spiritual role.
If the parents die, the godparent does not legally nor automatically become the primary caregiver.
Many Kaya Drive listeners were stunned hearing that some parents asked external parties to take over the reigns as caregivers to their kids in their absence.
Culturally, the role automatically falls to the immediate family.
However, some parents felt the role of godparent or guardian should lie with a close friend.
This is so that there are no internal family disputes over any insurance policies and/or differences in parenting styles.
As an example one of the single moms on the Kaya Drive team who is divorced, opted for a friend to take over the role of godparent and guardian due to religious differences with her family.
In the event something were to happen to the child’s father and herself, she tasked the role of raising her child to a friend.
That said, there is a difference between godparents vs guardians.
Listen to the conversation on Kaya Drive:
Guardians
A guardian’s role is a legally binding one. There is a legal document which binds the guardian as the primary caregiver of the child should the parents die.
The guardian will be responsible for any financial, health and lifestyle obligations of the child, should he or she be a minor.
One names the guardian as the primary caregiver to the child in his/her will.
Hopefully this helps dispel any misunderstandings between the two roles.
Also read: Co-parenting, the challenges of raising kids together
