What is your perception of and experience with a "Godmother"?

Fairies…all of them; with wands and little bags of magic dust.

From what I understand, godparents are supposed to help raise the child spiritually. That’s why parents will have different godparents for each of their children – they have no intention of splitting the children up should they die.
Did you make it clear to this person what her duties were? Is she just supposed to take the child(ren) if you die, or is she supposed to play a role in their life as well? You can always change the will – it’s probably best to tell her she would no longer be getting the kid(s), but at least if something happened you’d have your bases covered.
I didn’t have a godparent in the spiritual sense. If my parents died, my sister and I would go to my aunt and uncle. They lived with my cousin less than 10 minutes away from the house I grew up in, and were more like my other mom, other dad, and other sister than aunt, uncle, and cousin.
ETA: I think you have to have it in your will that this person will get the children, otherwise they go to the closest living relative, regardless of what you said to everyone.

My understanding of a Godparent is the same as @papayalily.‘s The responsibilities are religious and/or spiritual.

Have you made this person your child’s legal guardian? Or did you simply tell her, “We want you to be responsible for Baby in the event something happens to us.” If you have made her legal guardian and you’re now concerned about her ability to serve in that role, I suggest a serious discussion with your husband about changing who the guardian will be.

I had Godparents but didn’t see them much at all. There wasn’t anything Spiritual about being at their place but it was decorated in antiques and really interesting. I spent the night once when I was about nine. I slept in a 4 poster bed and it may have been a featherbed. I just know it was way up in the air so she had little steps next to the bed. Next day she made cream cheese sandwiches with blue food coloring on white bread, no crust. It was lunchtime!
Next I knew I was moving out of state and we all went over for dinner. I never saw them again. I was sixteen.
I was given her first name for my middle name..

My godparents are family friends who have known my parents since they were in college. My godparents sponsored my baptism into the Catholic church and they are also Catholic themselves.

Traditionally, the godparents sponsor a child’s baptism, make sure the child has a religious upbringing, and to care for the child should he/she ever be orphaned.

My understanding it generally like @papallily’s but I think the role of godparents really varies among denominations and families. I think for some people it’s just a formality. Godparents or godmother or whatever are there at the baptism and that’s about it. Sometimes godparents may be very close to the family anyway and have a closer relationship but there’s no legal obligation. If you want to designated who would care for your children should you die, I think you would have to do that through a lawyer and have your wishes documented and even then, I’m not sure if the State might not step in and determine guardianship. I don’t really know how that works but it’s not necessarily what godparents do. It’s not a legal relationship, at least not now, maybe traditionally.

@lillycoyote Yeah, I think it used to be a paired relationship – the spiritual upbringing and the legal guardianship – but it isn’t anymore. If you designate someone as the legal guardian, then they are the legal guardian, since you might not want to leave your kids to your alcoholic brother in The Congo. Course, said brother might challenge it upon your death, and I don’t really know how judges decide then.
I would imagine that the change relates to the rise of atheism and being less serious about religion, as well as the change from taking a village to taking a family to raise a child.

I can’t remember who they were! XD

I was born Roman Catholic, and I had Godparents at my baptism. My Godmother was my mother’s sister, but my Godfather was a friend of my
father’s who then moved out
of the country. So, jellies,
what would have happened if they would have been needed to care for me? Would they have both needed to be involved? Would just having my Godmother have been ok?

Thanks everyone for the answer. I guess I was aiming for more of the spiritual perspective on it since my will gives legal guardianship to someone else other than the “appointed” Godmother.

@iLove I think that is something you have to work out with the Godparents of your child, how much you want them to be involved in their lives. I don’t know if anyone knows for sure anymore, or ever did. Maybe be in some churches it’s very specific what the godparents are supposed to do and even then it is a matter of what the families want from the relationship.

Technically, Godparents are relinquished of their duties once the child/person becomes confirmed (in the C of E anyway).
Due to unfortunate circumstances my parents looked to remove my Godfather but as I had been confirmed it was no longer necessary as he didn’t hold the title anymore, if that makes sense.

@Tennis5tar What the heck is the C of E?

@papayalily – C of E = Church of England