Attention-seeking behavior: How to deal with attention-seeking behavior in children

Many parents have been there, where a child was begging for attention, perhaps crying out loud for attention. Most children, if not all, engage in attention-seeking behavior at one time or another. Most American parents punish behaviors in children that are attention-seeking in nature. However, the best thing to do concerning attention-seeking behavior is to give the child the attention he/she needs.

Giving children loving attention is part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. 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 "provoke...to anger" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission 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 wake of 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 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 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 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 in his writings. 

Attention-seeking behavior is a common behavior in children. Most parents deal with the issue by punishing the attention-seeking behavior, which can range from crying to mischief. This situation was not the case in biblical times. In biblical times, children weren't even scolded for attention-seeking behavior, but were given the attention that they needed.

During the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness to mothers. Wherever the mother went, so did her young child. Children followed their mother all throughout the house, even through the kitchen as she was cooking a meal for the family to eat. Whenever the child cried out for attention, the mother stopped what she was doing, and without complaining, picked up the child and held him/her while cooing. When children were out and about, they were swaddled to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets, with the top end of the blanket tied to one of the breasts, with the lower part of the velvet swaddling blankets tied across the dot to the leg of the mother. Older children would cause mischief in the home just for attention, and parents just laughed with the children. Parents knew that the children literally couldn't help themselves due to impulse control issues associated with their immaturity. Parents in biblical times didn't get angry, as that emotion was missing due to parent non-entitlement, and so parents found mischevious behavior to be cute and endearing, especially bold behavior. A common form of child abuse in biblical times was encouraging antisocial behavior in children. 

Attention-seeking behavior exists because attention is a core need of children. The needs of children fall into five main categories; food, water, shelter, transportation, and attachment - and the greatest of these needs is attachment! A core attachment need of children is attention. Depriving a child of loving attention is like depriving of them of oxygen - they just can't breathe without the loving attention of parents. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them forever be 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!