How do Ethical Society members celebrate the birth of a baby?
Parents invite their family and friends to participate in a celebration called a Naming or Welcoming Ceremony. Through childhood, this is the circle of people who will be this child’s world and culture. How family and friends relate to each other will determine what conclusions this child will draw about how life works. Therefore, this community is asked to make a conscious commitment to this child, mother, and father. The Naming Ceremony recognizes that parenthood is the ultimate expression and the severest test of a marriage. The greatest act of love parents can give their child is to love each other. The interactions between a mother and father, husband and wife, form the family relationship that serves as a child’s nest. Parents renew their vows to each other, commit themselves to their child, and ask their community to join in promising to love their child unconditionally, respecting his or her uniqueness, and eliciting the best from him or her. Naming Ceremonies are held on the f
