1
BIRTH, BAPTISM AND
OTHER CEREMONIES OF CHILDHOOD
Babies, for such small things, enter the world to a great fanfare – not only their own, but the enthusiastic adulation of family and friends as well. They are also, in an age when procreation is increasingly regarded as positively miraculous, trumpeted to a quite unprecedented extent.
BIRTH
Announcement of a Birth
This is traditionally the duty of the father, who must ring any immediate relations who were not present at the birth. Close family should be the first to hear the glad tidings, followed by prospective godparents, friends and colleagues. It is then customary to place a birth announcement in the personal column of newspapers. It is also increasingly usual to leave an announcement on the telephone answering machines of close friends, adding whether or not you are receiving calls.
The choice of wording for a newspaper announcement varies according to personal style, although the proper form is short and elegant.
PROUDPARENTS – On 22 December, to John and Jane, a son.
The inclusion of the year is optional. Some couples like to add the name of the hospital, the infant’s name and the mother’s maiden name: this, although well intentioned, is not comme il faut. Other details such as ‘little brother for Andy, Pandy and Mandy’ or ‘long-awaited grandchild for Don and Doris’ are even more inappropriate and should never appear. As for the entry that once appeared in a west country local paper and which included ‘thanking all concerned’, nothing needs to be said.
The form for single mothers takes the same pattern:
PROUDPARENT – On 30 December, to Susan, a son.
Smart babies are often announced, at the discretion of the social editors and often free of charge, in the Court & Social pages. It has also recently become the custom, immediately on deciding a baby’s name, to send out American-style birth announcements (see Chapter 8). These can look very smart. The same cannot be said of a card showing a jolly picture of the new family, with written details on the back. After all, as one mother said: ‘I was half gaga at the time, looked absolutely at my worst and am now embarrassed about these images being in constant circulation.’
Registration of Birth
Babies have to be legally registered. In England and Wales this has to be done within forty-two days. In Scotland the period of grace is only twenty-one days. Apart from this slight difference the procedure is largely the same throughout Great Britain. Babies are registered with their local registrar of births. If the infant is born when away from home, it is possible to declare the child locally but register it through the post to the baby’s local area. The registering of babies by married couples is very straightforward. Either parent can do the registration, as only one signature is needed. Details of both parents are put on the certificate. Although most children automatically assume the father’s surname, an infant can be given the mother’s or any other of choice. The position with unmarried people is slightly more complicated. The mother always has to be present. In order for the father’s details to be included in the birth entry, he should attend the register office with the mother and sign the register with her, or he can fill in a paternity declaration on a special form from the registrar’s office. This needs to be witnessed by a solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths and is brought along by the woman when she attends the registration. Either the mother’s or father’s name can be used. In some circumstances when a father denies paternity, the mother can take him to court, where it is possible to order DNA tests to prove fatherhood and thus force him to recognise the child as his. On the other hand, if the mother does not want the father’s name on the birth certificate a line is drawn through the space for paternal details. Alternatively a mother can also add the man’s details later, should circumstances change, such as marriage, and therefore re-register the baby.
Hospital Visits
If you are not an immediate family member it is thoughtful, no matter how happy you are for the new mother, to delay your visit for a day or so, to give time for the immediate family to spend time with their newborn and for the mother to regain her strength. This is to ensure that she, who will undoubtedly be feeling drained by the experience of childbirth, is not overtaxed with visitors. Particularly if she has had a difficult birth, being besieged with callers can make her feel totally exhausted and confused. A mother of great experience recommends that visits from well-wishers should be no longer than twenty minutes.
Presents
As far as the newborn is concerned, it is necessary only for immediate family to bring presents, although friends may give something if they wish. This can range from a practical item for the nursery to something much more substantial and permanent, such as the two million pound trust fund that was recently settled on a very lucky three-day-old baby. Clothes, unless with prior consultation, are not recommended, as most mothers have very strong ideas about how their children are to look.
In all the excitement surrounding the baby, it is important to remember the star performer – the mother. An acquaintance says: ‘After a birth, women long to feel feminine again and thus welcome gifts such as delicious soaps, a beautiful nightdress and, of course, flowers.’ If sending a present – particularly flowers – rather than taking it in person, it is sensible to check how long the mother will be staying in hospital. Nowadays, this can be a very short time indeed. Some experts also recommend that the new baby’s siblings are also given a small present, as their noses are often out of joint after the birth of the new arrival.
Letters of Congratulation
Friends who cannot visit should write a short letter of congratulation to the happy parents. This is always addressed to the mother and could read:
Dear Susan,
I was so thrilled to hear of the arrival of your long-awaited daughter. She will make a delightful addition to the family and help keep those boisterous boys in order.
With much love,
Freddie Well-Wisher
If time is short, it is just acceptable to send a postcard bearing a suitable image.
Single Mothers
Many women choose to have babies without becoming attached to a man in the conventional sense. Others have accidents. In both cases it behoves family and friends to be extra supportive, as the mother will have to cope with her new family without the traditional help of a spouse.
Complications
If there are complications it is rude to ask too many questions. If a child is born with defects, unless these abnormalities are absolutely horrendous, family and friends must behave in a positive way. If a baby is stillborn or dies shortly after birth, this awful event must be treated as a family death, with letters of condolence sent to the parents.
Breast-Feeding in Public
It is bad manners to expel any liquid from any orifice in public, and breast-feeding is no different. Nevertheless, this habit remains a very sensitive area. During the sixties and seventies, many western women asserted their right to breast-feed in public. The fact that this practice has not become widespread is largely due to the fact that many onlookers (women as well as men of different generations) find the sight embarrassing, even revolting. With this in mind, well-mannered mothers should breast-feed in private. Thoughtful hosts offer lactating visitors a quiet room where they can feed away from the general throng.
BAPTISM
Despite the secularisation of society, a surprising number of babies are baptised. Research suggests that one in four babies is christened into the Church of England alone. However, there can be problems. Although most clergy are happy to baptise babies, many harbour reservations about christening babies of families who do not attend church, claiming that nonpractising Christians are unlikely to bring their children up in a truly Christian manner. Others take the more relaxed view that by baptising an infant, the Church has acquired a new recruit.
Many clergymen are reluctant to give private baptisms, preferring to uphold the Church of England’s current official line that baptism is a rebirth and a welcoming to the larger Christian communion, and thus infants should be christened during normal Sunday service in the presence of the parish’s congregation. Others do semi-private group baptisms of several babies. Policy varies from parish to parish. However, most parents still, quite understandably, want the ‘specialness’ of a private christening with friends and family rather than a public affair, and there are plenty of vicars who will oblige with a private rite. As in many aspects of contemporary religion, it is down to the discretion of your local incumbent.
Baptism in the Church of England
Within the Church of England, christenings can happen at any age, although the most frequent time is at around three or four months. Clergymen hate leaving it too late, not just for the sake of the infant’s soul, but because the older babies are, the heavier, more wriggly and increasingly difficult they become to manoeuvre. It is usual for the ceremony to take place at the local parish church. However, if parents wish for the service to take place at another church, they must first get the permission of both ministers.
In the case of church-going families, the arrangement of a christening is only a formality. However, should the parents never attend church, most clergy will want some assurance that the infant, once baptised, will be brought up in the tenets of the Christian faith. The majority of parishes now insist on some sort of preparation prior to the ceremony: this can range from a single conversation about the meaning of the service to a series...
