An Alien Dedication

After kiddo's dedication

This past Sunday kiddo was dedicated at my dad's church. Most people are probably familiar with the Catholic version of this, baptism, but Baptists believe it's everyone's individual choice whether they should be baptized. For this reason, kiddo wasn't dunked or sprinkled or involved in water whatsoever.

Instead, it's a public testament by both the parents and the congregation to raise and help guide the child in a Christian way.

This may seem antiquated to some people. Some might ask, why on Earth would parents dedicate their child? What's the point? Well, if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: it's good to raise a child in a faith community.

I'm not just thinking about the ethics and values that are taught in a faith community, but also the support that is so necessary in raising a child. More than ever I recognize the need to have more than just my husband and myself to take care of kiddo. There have been so many times when it has been necessary to have my parents or Christian's parents present to help with kiddo, but I know that anyone in our church would be more than willing and able to care for him, offer advice, or any kind of support we need.

This is even more helpful as kiddo doesn't have "godparents." I mean originally godparents were a Catholic thing (again) - two people who were meant to specifically guide a child through his or her faith. Now the more common understanding of godparents is a couple (usually married, but could be two separate individuals) who would care for the child assuming anything happened to the parents.

Kiddo doesn't have godparents and I wish he did. Yes, I know family could come to the rescue, but I would prefer to have someone outside of the family who had similar values and would raise kiddo as close to the way we would. We've thought about friends over and over again, and several names come to mind, but we haven't approached those people, nor have we really committed to an order of preference.

So in the meantime, we content ourselves with the amazing support system inherent in our church. There are worse things. :-)