Christian attachment parenting: Upholding the biblical tradition

Many parents think that punitive parenting is a tradition in this country that should not go away. Most parents and other adults think that punishing a child is a command in the Bible, thus a tradition that, in their eyes, must never go away. The fact of the matter, however, is that the Bible commands attachment parenting, with attachment parenting being the tradition throughout the Bible. Christian attachment parenting is the unwritten law of the land, thus is our true parenting tradition.

I am a Christian dominionist. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian family values. God cast a dominion onto all of America, but only a few will heed the warning. The Bible is codified law, binding on all of the American people above the law of the land, but only a few will heed caution. Divine Codified Jurisprudence prohibits all punitive parenting, and commands that parents form a secure attachment with children, thus attachment parenting is part of our traditions as a nation. Yes, even a Christian dominionist can be anti-spanking and pro-attachment parenting. God cast a dominion over me, and I heeded the warning - no spanking, no punishment. 

Christian attachment parenting can be understood, as a parenting system, by the doctrine of mutual submission, with the burden of proof in the relationship falling onto the parent. It says 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 to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and grace of parents. Children are to rest securely in the sacrifice of parents, just as parent believers rest securely in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Parents are to be extensions of Christ, dutifully and selflessly submitting to their children as one would God, expecting absolutely nothing in return, with children resting safely and securely in the submission of parents. Children are to rest safely and securely in the presence of parents, following mothers especially around like goslings to a mother goose. This word, in context, refers to secure attachment, which all parents in our society should at least strive for in a parent-child bond. 

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to damages or offenses, 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, coming from entitlement. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul, and understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including any punishments or controlling demeanor. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children one last time. Parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" being defined under the Law as the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen in biblical times was seen as holding your child hostage merely for things they did wrong, thereby treating your child as a quartered slave. Paul, here, was lifting up this legal context in order to convict a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child.

Attachment parenting was the established norm in biblical times. The Early Christians, as well as their Jewish predecessors, practiced a specific, distinct form of attachment parenting that deified children. Children were seen as extensions of God, meaning installments of God called to bring out and judge the charity of all mankind. Children were seen as wrathful in biblical times, in a way that convicted parents to please and appease the child, keeping children happy. When children rejected parents, which happened now and then, parents were heartbroken, not angry, and sought to figure out what they did wrong, and once they figured out what they were doing wrong as a parent, they corrected the problem. Parents didn't want to get children mad, or get on their bad side, so they worked hard to be the best parents they could be to their children, submitting to children as they would to God, worshipping and venerating children as earthly, fleshly deities of their own. Children, on another level, were seen, in terms of righteous judgment, as sacrosanct, meaning they could do no wrong, even if they did do wrong literally. Children were honored as deities, as Ancient Jewish society, including the Early Church, was a child worshipping society, not a child sacrificing society. Children in biblical times got most all of what they wanted, and everything they needed.

Children, in biblical times, wore absolutely no clothing, at all, until they became adults. Women only wore clothing outside of the home, and otherwise went in the nude, in order to serve their husbands and their children, separately. Mothers served their children by providing for them nourishment and sustenance, namely breastmilk (until age 3) and skin-to-skin closeness and intimacy, respectively. The core aspect of Christian attachment parenting in the 1st Century, with mother and child fast asleep next to each other in the nude, and the child soaking up the rays of skin-to-skin contact. Children went naked for a specific reason in biblical times - so that mothers could snuggle up and cuddle up their children in order to soothe them and comfort them when they were crying or upset. The man of the house stood guard next to mother and child, wielding a rod and a staff, in order to whip intruders (meaning NOT children) with. Fathers also nurtured, but from afar, forming a secure attachment with their children by witnessing warmth and closeness between mother and child. However, secure attachment between father and child, especially father and daughter, was a sexual attachment, but with Early Church leadership recommending to fathers that they follow the sexual thoughts to the end using masturbatory fantasy. Daughters were also attracted to fathers, with this leading to a mutually unrequited sexual dynamic between father and child, which was a sign of sexual purity in a home. Usually, all this led to was a better relationship between father and child, usually father and daughter. Hands-on sexual abuse of children was rare in biblical times due to the fact that adult men had an outlet with masturbation, but when children were raped or sexually assaulted, it was an act seen as deserving of death.

America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian family values. However, we have gotten our values wrong before. Just look at slavery and Jim Crow. We were wrong when we enslaved Africans, and we were wrong when we segregated African-Americans from white society. We need to admit that we also got our values wrong in how we treated children. I support keeping our values and traditions as they are, minus one tradition that has been keeping children down - punitive parenting. Punitive parenting has got to go. Out with punitive parenting, in with attachment parenting.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be forever cast 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 forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!