Christian attachment parenting: Upholding the biblical tradition

Many parents today use authoritative parenting in raising their children. Typically, authoritative parenting is applied in a punitive manner, usually with time-out and the occasional disciplinary spanking. This has become the norm in American parenting. Most American parents use authoritative methods to control children. The fact of the matter is that true American parenting is attachment-based in nature, meaning Christian attachment parenting.

God cast a dominion over all of America, but only a few will heed the warning. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian family values. The Bible is a founding document of this country, even above the Constitution itself. Nowhere in the Bible does it legitimately say to strike a child. Where a rod is mentioned, the reference is to the 40 minus 1 lashes for adult sons who were charged with a capital offense, as a final chance at life before being put to death. Whipping minor children was forbidden under the Law of Moses. The Early Christians never practiced corporal or capital punishment of any kind. The Bible defines our culture, and sets up our norms, Hence, attachment parenting is a part of our culture.

Christian attachment parenting is best understood using the Christian doctrine of mutual suhmission. See Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That is may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long upon the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

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.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) 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 holding your child hostage merely for things that they did wrong, thereby treating your child as a quartered slave. Paul here was lifting up the Law in order to convict a group of Greek Christians who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children into the Ephesian church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his writings.

The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to, in the Hebraic context, modeling Christian discipline to children. The standard of Christian discipline is deserving of absolutely nothing, and thus grateful for absolutely everything, leading to a chastened up example for children to follow. Christian discipline was something the parents worked on in themselves, and children followed in theit footsteps. When children emulated the disciplined example of parents, fathers praised and encouraged children lavishly in their self-improvement. Sometimes, children needed direct instruction, and that usually took the form of redirection. Children were only directly instructed by parents when they were directly endangering themselves, spiritually or otherwise. A key example of redirection was when children were sexually active, in which case children were redirected towards masturbation. Direct instruction was known then as righteous warning, and was denoted in the Bible by the Greek root word νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia). Most of the time, children were left to their own devices, as parents then intuitively knew that most childish and immature behavior was normal given their age and developmental level.

Children are in the providing custody of their parents, primarily of their mothers, and secondarily of their fathers. Mothers formed a secure attachment, and did so by providing for children nourishment and sustenance, namely attachment parenting items such as breastfeeding and skin-on-skin comfort. During the first 6 years of a child's life, they were in constant closeness to mothers, never leaving her side, being wrapped up next to her bosom in swaddling blankets when mothers were out and about, perhaps being offered to suckle her teat if milk-hungry. After around age 6, children started playing outside together, exploring the terrain more, venturing further and further from home. But, when children were tired of the real world, they retreated to the closeness of mothers, with mothers serving as home base for chuldren. Children grew securely attached to fathers through their mothers, learning to relate to their fathers by how they dealt with their mothers, making themselves at home by way of masturbatory fantasy about his children.

The Bible is a founding document of this country, above even the Constitution itself. The Founding Fathers wanted a Christian society that followed the Bible, weighed by a secular government. Thus, instead of a religious state imposing on the populace, they wanted a religious society imposing on the state. The framers left room for improvement, but only based on the Bible. Attachment parenting is now known as a biblical Truth, whereas it wasn't before. Thus, it is a tradition of this nation, based on the Bible itself. In time, attachment parenting should become popular, and then it will be enshrined into the secular law. In the mean time, God's Law is above the law of the land, and thus attachment parenting is the unwritten law of the land.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke 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!