It’s likely that you imagined how your baby’s christening would go: picture-perfect, the lighting just right, your little one behaving like an angel. But the reality can be funny. Just ask these moms from the Smart Parenting Village.
The pandemic has forced many parents to delay christening their babies until it's safer. Little did they know that this delay also comes with a hiccup, since their babies have grown strong enough to resist, well, anything they want to resist and leave a funny photo souvenir while at it.
Parents share hilarious binyag photos
Raiine Bal-ut got the ball rolling with her post: “Soon-to-be mommies, habang newborn palang, pabinyagan na. [Lumalaban] na ’pag ganitong age.” Her baby Nazzie was baptized at one year old.
Raiine adds that, according to the priest, it’s the mother who should hold the child. Nazzie’s dad isn’t “just chilling,” as another parent puts it, in these photos.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF RAIINE BAL-UTADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW.jpg)
PHOTO COURTESY OF RAIINE BAL-UTIt appears that some priests have allowed the father to hold the child. Maybe it’s part of the new normal during baptisms. And it makes perfect sense when your little one doesn’t seem to want a stranger pouring water—even if it’s holy—over their head.
Joanna Sicat responds to Raiine: “Same sa panganay ko, mare.” Her son, now age three, was one year and five months old when he was baptized.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOANNA SICATCONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowPaola Marie Amora Cayanan echoes Raiine’s sentiments: “Samedt. Kung ayaw niyong [mahubaran] din kayo at ma-minus points sa langit.” You can clearly see the parents’ teamwork. Their daughter was almost two at the time of the baptism.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PAOLA CAYANANJongkai Cimafranca Rimorin’s child was already two—and was probably not in a good mood that day (maybe hangry?). “Nang-aaway na ng pari,” jokes Jongkai.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JONGKAI RIMORINADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWCath Garcia’s child, on the other hand, seems distracted. What has caught the attention of the one-year-old at the time? A stained-glass window? Ninang’s OOTD? Whatever it is, it’s attractive enough to make the baby want to wriggle out of Dad’s arms.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CATH GARCIA“Buti na lang si Daddy [ang] nagbuhat,” Xyrile Gwynne Guzman adds to the conversation in the Smart Parenting Village. Her son was baptized at five months old last December. He looks more behaved in this photo, but then maybe he doesn’t like getting squirted with holy water.
PHOTO COURTESY OF XYRILE GUZMANThe best time to get your child baptized
In a circular dated February 14, 2012, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas writes, “The baptisms of infants must be scheduled a few weeks but not later than three months after birth. Ideally, as soon as the mother has recovered her strength after the child’s delivery, the baby must be rushed to the Church for baptism.” The Catholic Church says the sooner, the better.
Willing to wait
However, some parents haven’t followed this three-month rule, and they have practical reasons. “Seaman ang asawa ko. Gusto ng husband ko kumpleto sana kami sa event kaya hinintay namin siya makauwi,” Paola Marie says. “Sakto rin na birthday niya.”
It’s also practical to “bundle” events. Joanna says, “Nabuntis ako sa pangalawa [kong anak] nung eight months ang panganay ko kaya pinagsabay na lang silang dalawa.”
Baptisms in the new normal
The pandemic has altered much of our lives, so choosing to delay your child’s baptism seems wise. Parishes such as Our Lady of Remedies Parish (Malate Catholic Church) and St. John Bosco Parish (SJBP) in Makati offer only communal baptisms. “To show the communitarian dimension of the sacrament, the parish does not encourage individual/special baptism except for serious reasons (e.g., medical, emergency cases, security, etc.),” the SJBP explains.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW“Maliit yung church and 15 kids ang sabay-sabay bibinyagan. Medyo nakakatakot,” Jongkai tells Smart Parenting. It’s why they’ve chosen to wait.
“Pandemic baby [siya],” Raiine says of her child. “Natatakot kasi kami talaga pabinyagan siya nang maaga kasi medyo mataas pa ang cases at that time.”
In response to the new normal, the Catholic Bishops Conference includes this in its recommendations and guidelines for celebrating weddings and baptisms, among others: “The celebration of Baptism is allowed but restricted to the immediate family members and to one or a pair of godparents. They need to wear face masks and observe social distancing.”
Whether you choose to wait or follow the three-month rule, it’s up to you, moms and dads. You may not end up with a picture-perfect baptism, but doesn’t having a funny story to share with your kid top that?
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