Co-sleeping: Why parents should co-sleep next to their children

Many parents think that co-sleeping is the irresponsible choice in parenting. Most American parents refuse to co-sleep next to their children, often citing their religious values as a reason for not co-sleeping next to their child. The fact of the matter, however, is that the Bible endorses co-sleeping, when understood in context, as a means for mother and child to bond. Plus, co-sleeping next to your child could prevent child sexual abuse from occurring in your home.

Co-sleeping is an expression of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. Children rest securely in the arms of mothers. 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 translating "obey" 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 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 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. 

It is common knowledge that children aged 2-6 often refuse to go to sleep. This is a common issue in many Christian homes, and most parents deal with the issue by punishing the child and letting the child cry themselves to sleep. There is a reason why children often refuse to go to sleep - they are not ready to sleep on their own yet, developmentally speaking. Most children ranging in age, up to age 6, have a fear of being isolated in a room alone, like they are about to be devoured by predators. Many parents might assume that no such predators exist, but there are predators today, and they could lurk in your own home. Usually, child sexual abuse is committed when the child is isolated in a room alone, by a parent living in the home. Usually, the sex offender that is sexually abusing the child is the father. Any father can commit acts of child sexual abuse under the right/wrong conditions, and so can some mothers who have male traits. Mothers in biblical times knew that the father of their children had a parent attraction to them, and slept next to the children in order to guard them from the sexual entitlement of their father. Fathers usually re-channeled their parent attraction into masturbation, but not always. Child sexual abuse was rare next to non-existent in biblical times, and this was largely because the mother was right there when the children slept next to her.

Most of the concerns about co-sleeping center on the concept of self-soothing. Most parents and pediatricians often say that a child needs to be isolated in a crib or bed alone in order to self-soothe. The fact of the matter is that history proves that children learn to self-soothe on their own. In biblical times, most children co-slept next to their mother until puberty. When children hit puberty, they immediately insisted on their own place in the house to sleep, and parents took it as that their child was growing up. Children rarely became dependent on the warmth of parents past puberty, and when that happened, the child would have qualitied for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or a related developmental disorder today. Parents then weren't concerned, as they knew their children would shake them off eventually. 

Co-sleeping closeness between mothers and children happened in skin-on-skin fashion always in biblical times. The Early Christians practiced birth nudity, with mothers and children both being naked next to each other, in skin-on-skin closeness to each other. Co-sleeping was something that children looked forward to every night with their parents. It was the main bonding routine mothers had with their children. Skin-on-skin co-sleeping is at the core of Christian attachment parenting. This form of co-sleeping also brought out abusers in fathers, in which case mothers then knew that - at some point - they'd have to divorce their husband. Christian mothers in the Early Church followed their instincts when raising their children, and did what came naturally.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their 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!