Christian attachment parenting: Upholding the biblical tradition

Many parents in America support authoritative parenting. The average application of authoritative parenting in the United States is time-out, sometimes accompanied by a disciplinary spanking. Most parenting in America is punitive in nature, usually in authoritative parenting format. The fact of the matter is that attachment parenting is in our traditions as a nation, as the Bible is one of our founding doctuments, and endorses attachment parenting. 

God cast a dominion upon all of America, yet only a few will heed the warning. The Bible is a founding document of this country, more important than the Constitution itself. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values. God chose Israel, and used the Bible to lift up the values of Ancient Jewish society, catapulted by the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These values are the foundation of Western civilization. Attachment parenting is part of the Judeo-Christian values spread by Christ from Israel. Modern Israel is a children's rights country through and through, and those parenting values are also part of the Christian values that formed this country. 

Christian attachment parenting is best understood using the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. Parents are to be submissive to children, just as mankind is to be submissive to God, with parents regarding themselves as the enemy of such. In return, children are to rest safely and securely in the love and submission of parents. See 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 in the family home, dutifully and selflessly submitting to children just as they would to God, expecting absolutely nothing in return, with children resting safely and securely in the submission of parents. Parents are to submit to children as their enemy, from beneath yet from above, revering and fearing children as vulnerable extensions of God (see Matt. 25:31-46).

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, stemming 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 towards children. 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 as holding your child hostage merely for things that they did wrong, thereby treating their child as a quartered slave. Paul here was lifting up the Law in order to convict a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing their children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child, speaking out against the punishment of children in his writings.

Children, in biblical times, wore absolutely no clothing, at all, until they became adults. Women only wore clothing when outside the home, and otherwise went in the nude, in order to serve both their husbands and their children, separately. Mothers served their children by way of providing for them nourishment and sustenance, namely attachment parenting items such as breastfeeding and skin-on-skin comfort. Children, up until age 6, never left the side of mothers, with children ranging next to her, and clinging to her when crying or upset. Mothers, when children were crying or upset, held children next to her bosom in skin-on-skin comfort, reassuring children with the phrase "this too will pass". When out and about, mothers wore children next to their bosom in swaddling blankets, perhaps allowing children to suckle her teat if the child is milk-hungry. By night, mothers co-slept next to their children in skin-on-skin format in order to form a secure attachment to children, as well as protect them from all predatory threats, including the sexual entitlement of fathers. Fathers also formed a secure attachment to their children, by way of witnessing skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy between mother and child, wanting in on the action by way of a sexual attachment to the child. Fathers imprinted on children by way of masturbatory orgasm. This pro-social fantasy on the part of fathers about their children usually led to a secure bond between father and child, usually of a silly or playful type, turning into an encouraging type of bond as the child got older, encouraging bold feats of independence. Fathers reeled themselves down to the level of a child, being their best playmate, joining their games. Mothers were the more serious parent, usually in a warm and loving way. Fathers could only have access to children with the mother's permission.

Children in biblical times were prized for their boldness and rebelliousness. Boldness was seen as a sign of independence in young children, and was encouraged and cultivated by fathers to encourage independence in children. Rebelliousness was seen as cute and endearing in children, with children constantly challenging parents as they got older, and parents doting on children when they showed rebellion. Children issued righteous demands as vulnerable extensions of God, and these demands brought parents into full and dutiful submission to children, fearing the Lord in children, expecting absolutely nothing in return for serving children.

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 lake of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!