Crying: Why crying is not bad behavior in children

Many parents think that children cry in order to "undermine parental authority". This is a common motive for punishing children. However, the fact of the matter is that children always cry for a reason. Most of the time, the child is advocating a vulnerable need.

The Fifth Commandment is repeated in Colossians 3:20 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in all things: as is well pleasing unto the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. This highlighted word ultimately refers to a secure attachment between parent and child in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to perform good works for their child, with children resting securely in the good works of parents. Good works here refers to doing good things for children, meeting children's every vulnerable need, expecting absolutely nothing in return. See also Matt. 22:35-40, 25:31-46; 1Cor. 13:4-8.

Most parents punish a crying child, thinking that children are out to "undermine parental authority". However, Christian parents in the Early Church knew more than parents today that children always cry for a reason, with children usually crying in order to petition a vulnerable need from parents. Children then got most of what they wanted, and everything that they needed. 

Under customary law in the Early Church, children were understood as having five basic categories of needs; food, water, shelter, transportation, and attachment - and the greatest of these needs is attachment! Children then cried a deathly, screeching cry when they needed something. If the child was milk-dependent, mothers offered their child their teat. If the child continued to cry, mothers scrambled to figure out the need behind the cry, with the crying being designed by God to break down mothers until the need is fully met. 

Crying, in most cases, is developmentally-appropriate behavior in children, especially when the crying child is under age 6. A child most always cries in order to petition parents for a need. Whenever children cried, mothers cooed before responding to the child's cries, and from there, she diagnosed the need before meeting it. Usually, all a crying child needs is YOU. 

The depraved and entitled parents who punished their children will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent!

Redefining child abuse: Why the Bible calls for expanding child abuse definitions

Many parents think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of child abuse. This is a common belief amongst American parents. Most American parents support the current child abuse definitions. However, the Bible has its own definition of child abuse, namely whatever the child victim perceives as abuse.

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. Unofficially speaking, parental entitlement consists of parents being sorely disappointed when they don't get what they feel that they deserve from children. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children just for existing. Any parent anger directed towards a child was deemed parental entitlement in biblical times. Whenever this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived by a child as offensive or damaging, it was deemed child abuse. See also Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is not enough to stop spanking or punishing your child - you need to avoid any and all offense as perceived by a child. The only way to avoid guilt under this commandment is to give a meaningful apology whenever you offend your child, especially when you lose your cool. Children are usually offended when they cry due to parent anger being imposed on them. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul convicting parents who brought into the church the pagan custom of patrias potestas, with this term meaning "power to the parent", including power to mete out corporal or other forms of punishment. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did attachment parenting anyway, as a form of civil disobedience to Rome. 

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers here to long-term damages, namely trauma. The ancients had a basic understanding of trauma. When a child grew up to be atheist, it was seen as a sign of trauma, and not that the atheist was a "lost soul". 

Child abuse was usually prosecuted by a council of 3 elders that headed the parish of the Early Christian church. In most cases, an abused child confided into one of the elders, and then the parents were called before the council. When parents defended their abusive actions, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document, with all 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - being written by Jews. No Jew worth mentioning ever defended child punishment, even in biblical times. Even King Solomon recommended attachment parenting for the little ones, with the rod of correction simply being a form of judicial corporal punishment under the Law. Christ fulfilled the Law, thus taking away the harsh legal punishments found in the Old Testament. 

The Bible is a founding document of this country, even above the Constitution itself. The Bible and its context tell us, as a society, how to live as a country. It just so happens that this Bible is anti-spanking, not pro-spanking. The Bible simply was mistranslated on the Latinate level of the translation, meaning the Bible was translated in error in order to keep a pagan tradition going. The Bible is only God's Word in the original Greek and Hebrew, as understood in context. All of the English language translations of the Bible are in error. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Separation anxiety: Why children cry seemingly out of nowhere

Many parents think that a crying child is trying to push their buttons, especially when they cry seemingly for no reason at all. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, the fact of the matter is that children always cry for a reason. Never ignore a crying child.

The Fifth Commandment is repeated in Colossians 3:20 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. This highlighted word ultimately refers to a secure attachment between parent and child in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to perform good works for their children, with children resting securely in the good works of parents. Good works here refers to doing good things for children, meeting children's every vulnerable need, expecting absolutely nothing in return. See also Matt. 22:35-40, 25;31-46; 1Cor. 13:4-8.

Parents today usually punish their children for crying "out of nowhere". However, Christian parents in the Early Church knew more than today's parents that the number one reason a child cries is due to separation anxiety. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were in constant closeness to mothers, morbidly fearing that mothers would "go away and never come back". Children never left their mother out of their line of sight, crying out loud when mothers as much as went into the other room. Mom had to reassure her child that she was going nowhere.

It is recommended that mothers quit their job when they become pregnant. This is because going to work in the morning severs the secure attachment with parents, burning the trust in parents that children had. Separation is a young child's worst fear, meaning they actively fear that mom will "go away and never come back". Going to work in the morning alone is a child's worst fear concerning their parents, as when mom is out at work, the child is morbidly afraid of mom not coming back. Your children need YOU more than they need anything else. 

The depraved and entitled parents who punish their children for crying will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent!

The rod verses: Why Proverbs is not an excuse for spanking children

Many parents think that the Bible says "spare the rod, spoil the child". This is a statement frequently attributed to the Bible. However, the Bible itself is an anti-spanking document, meaning that Proverbs is widely misused as an excuse for punishing a child.

One notable passage in the Old Testament is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He who spareth the rod hateth his son: but he who loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

This passage does not refer to any old whipping, but instead referring to a specific form of corporal punishment of the judicial kind. The 7 verses in Proverbs that mention the rod ultimately mention the 40 minus 1 lashes. The writers of all 88 books of the Bible recommended attachment parenting, including even King Solomon. King Solomon lifted up customary law in his secular writings on parenting, with customary law itself commanding parents to bring up children as comes naturally. The reason for this commandment is that if the father was left to his own devices, he would refuse to whip his son when his son ran afoul of the Law.

The harsh legal punishments in the Old Testament were repealed by Christ's Work on the cross. The Law still applies when repeated in the New Testament, but minus the harsh punishments found in the Old Testament. The passages found in Proverbs have nothing to do with raising a minor child, as the Hebrew word for "son" in Prov. 13:24 referring to a mature adult son. The word for "child" in Proverbs refers to a young adult. 

The book of Proverbs is simply wisdom literature, in poetic tense. It was never intended by God to be a source of parenting advice. However, God's Law does touch on proper parenting, and prohibits all forms of punitive parenting. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It isn't enough to stop spanking or punishing a child - you need to avoid any and all offense perceived by a child. The only way to avoid offense from children is to be willing to give a meaningful apology to a child at a moment's notice, especially when you lose your cool. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, and was intended by the Apostle Paul as prohibiting the pagan custom of patrias potestas, meaning "power to the parent", and was a "duty" under Roman law to spank children when they misbehave. Christian parents then righteously disobeyed these laws, and did attachment parenting anyway. This passage alone repeals the verses in Proverbs that mention the rod of correction.

The rod of correction was a final warning before a criminal offender was put to death. The offender was initially charged with a capital offense, and was given many warnings before being brought before the Sanhedrin. When the offender was found guilty, his father whipped him with 40 minus 1 lashes to the back with a switch. However, this procedure only applies to adult children - whipping a minor child was a capital offense in and of itself. Parents who whipped their minor children were charged with kidnapping, meaning it was seen then as a form of hostage-taking worthy of death and punishment in and of itself.

Spanking was a common way that children in the Greco-Roman world were punished. The false teaching of "biblical spanking" ultimately comes from European pagan influence on the Western Church. "Biblical spanking" was a pagan custom in the days of the Early Church, but the Christians then shunned that pagan custom, treating pro-spanking parishioners as infiltrators bringing their pagan custom of spanking children into the church.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Hebrews 12:5-6: Why this is not a spanking passage

Many parents support the concept of spanking and punishing children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents still seek religious advice for how to raise a child, and most pastors cite a few verses in Proverbs, and one passage in Hebrews.

God's Word states in Hebrews 12:5-6 KJV:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation that speaks unto you as unto children, My son, despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 

When understood in context, this passage is comforting to me, at least in retrospect of being caught in trying times. The Greek root word translated "scourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastigoo) and refers here to the chastening of the Lord. God whips His children, like only He can. However, God only whips His children when it doesn't harm them, whereas earthly parents whip their children when it does harm them. This passage ultimately refers to trials and tribulations, which only God is capable of doing without causing trauma. Paul here was consoling the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome, using the rod of correction as a metaphor for God's discipline of His elect. God never intended for parents to be like Him in parenting. Instead, parents should bring up their children as comes naturally.

The passage in Hebrews is not a spanking passage, as it was not intended by the Apostle Paul as parenting advice. However, Paul did chime in on parenting with his divinely inspired pen. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. 

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is not enough to avoid spanking or punishing your children - you need to avoid any and all offense in children, by the child's perception. The only way around guilt according to this commandment is to be willing to make a meaningful apology to your children, especially when you lose your cool. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church the pagan custom of patrias potestas, meaning "power to the parent" in terms of a "duty" to spank and punish children. Roman law prohibited attachment parenting, but the Early Christians were attached parents nonetheless, doing attachment parenting anyway.

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers here to long-term damages, namely trauma. The ancients had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. When a child grew up to be atheist, it was seen as a sign of trauma, not merely the atheist being seen as a "lost soul". 

Spanking was a common way for children to be dealt with under Roman law, with spanking being a pagan custom on the part of broader Greco-Roman society. However, the Early Christians shunned those customs, and instead formed a secure attachment to their children, avoiding offense in children. The concept of "biblical spanking" is ultimately a pagan custom that was absorbed into the Western Christian churches by way of European influence. 

The Bible itself was mistranslated in numerous instances, including Prov. 13:24. The rod of correction ultimately refers to a switch used on the bare back of a criminal offender, meaning it was simply a form of judicial corporal punishment that was administered when an offender ran out of warnings from fellow Jews. The reason for the rod verses in Proverbs was that otherwise, fathers would refuse to whip their errant son. Ultimately, the rod verses refer to the 40 minus 1 lashes. In Hebrews, this judicial whipping was used in a figurative tense, meaning rod language. God surely does not descend from the Heavens and physically whip His children, with this analogy instead being what is called rod language, which was a metaphor in the original Greek for enduring hardship. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Righteous pampering: Why God wants you to pamper and baby your child

Many parents think that children should not be pampered or babied, lest it "spoil" them. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents believe that children need to learn hard lessons. However, the Bible, when understood in context, recommends pampering and babying children, in a certain way. 

The Fifth Commandment is repeated in Colossians 3:20 KJV

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers here to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. This highlighted word ultimately refers to a secure attachment between parent and child in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to perform good works for children, with children resting securely in the good works of parents. Good works here is defined as doing good things for children, meeting children's every vulnerable need, expecting absolutely nothing in return. See also Matt. 22:35-40, 25:31-46; 1Cor. 13:4-8. 

The Bible, as understood in context, calls for a certain specific form of pampering and babying children. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning that wherever mom went, so did her child. For the first 2 years of childhood, children were constantly held by mothers, either in her loving arms, or else on mom's back in a papoose bag when her hands were full. Between ages 2-6, children ranged next to mothers, seemingly attached at the hip, not allowing mom out of their line of sight, morbidly fearing that mom would "go away and never come back". Whenever  a child cried, mom cooed before picking up her child, and from there, she diagnosed the need before meeting it. Maybe the child was tired. Maybe the child was hungry Maybe the child needed mom's milk. Maybe the child needed mom, period. Whatever children needed then, they got it. When mothers and children under age 6 were out and about, mom wrapped up the child in swaddling blankets, with the swaddling blankets - and the child with them - being tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress that resembled an apron. Come nightfall, Christian parents in the Early Church co-slept next to their children, in skin-on-skin format. Children went naked wherever they went, with mothers also going naked within the context of the family home. This birth nudity setup helped facilitate easy skin-on-skin sustaining warmth, with children experiencing the rays of skin-on-skin contact merely when they were picked up. 

When children turned age 6, they wanted to do things on their own, namely play outside freely, while naked. Children in biblical times engaged in wet and messy play. Children explored the terrain, venturing farther and farther from home, getting into mud battles in the process. However, children had to check in with mom first, so that she knew where the children were going. Come evening, children were called by name - one by one - and were treated to a warm, homecooked meal coming from mom. Children, starting at age 6, alternated between closeness to mom, and time away from mom, with children staying away from parents more and more as they got older. 

Children growing up in the Early Church, while under age 6, were very much protected, in a sheltered sort of way. In the biblical context, there existed environmental hazards towards a child's life, namely  venomous snakes or scorpions, with there being no antivenom then. However, even today, there exists hazards that endanger a child's safety, namely busy streets and would-be kidnappers. Children under age 6 were too young and immature to appreciate the dangers that existed outside.

The depraved and entitled parents who punished their children through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices. Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Honor parents: Understanding the Fifth Commandment in context

Many parents think that they are entitled to honor from their children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents feel deserving of being honored. However, the fact of the matter is that the Fifth Commandment means something very different than what is commonly believed by Christian parents.

The Fifth Commandment states in Exodus 20:12 KJV:

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

The Hebrew word translated "honor" means, in context, caring for parents, especially as they age. This first starts our with a parent caring for their children, and then children rewarded their parents by caring for them. However, if parents were abusive, children had the right to shun their parents. 

The Fifth Commandment is repeated in Colossians 3:20-21 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers here to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of children. This highlighted word ultimately refers to a secure attachment between parent and child in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to perform good works for children, with children resting in the good works of parents. Good works here refers to doing good things for children, meeting children's every vulnerable need, expecting absolutely nothing in return. See Matt. 22:35-40, 25:31-46; 1Cor. 13:4-8 

The Fifth Commandment, as most commonly interpreted, is a common excuse for parents punishing children. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It isn't enough to avoid punishing your child when they talk back - you need to avoid offending your child in any way, even if they talk back. The only way around this commandment is to be willing to make a meaningful apology, especially if you lose your cool. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and Tenth Commandments, and was intended by the Apostle Paul as a moral statute prohibiting the pagan custom of patrias potestas, meaning the "right" of fathers to enforce law in his home, including through spanking and punishing children. Roman law prohibited attachment parenting, but the Early Christians obeyed God over men, and practiced attachment parenting anyway. 

The Fifth Commandment does not refer to simply speaking against parents. Instead, the Fifth Commandment simply means that adult children are to care for their aging parents. However, children who were abused were permitted to shun their parents. Child abuse was defined as entitlement in a parent resulting in offense in a child, meaning whatever the child perceived as abusive. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!.