Separation anxiety: Why some separation anxiety is healthy (for children within a certain age group)

Many parents misunderstand separation anxiety. Most parents in America either think something is wrong with their child, or else - worse - punish or invalidate the separation anxiety. Most parents don't understand that separation anxiety is a normal stage in development for children aged 0-6. 

Separation anxiety is dealt with in children using 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 "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 parent submission. 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 children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his writings.

Separation anxiety was commonplace in biblical times, and was, in fact, normal for children to want their mother. The parenting setup in biblical times was intended to bring out the separation anxiety in children. This parenting setup involved birth nudity between mother and child, where mother and child were in the nude next to each other, with the child receiving skin-on-skin comfort from mothers, and also receiving nourishment in the form of breastfeeding if milk-hungry. Children, when the mother was out and about, were wrapped up next to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets, with one side of the blanket tied to the mother's left breast, and the other end tied across the dot to the mother's right leg, or vice versa, or both with twins.

For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness to mothers. Wherever the young child went, so did the mother. The child followed the mother around wherever she went, perhaps to the cauldron to watch mom cook food for the family. In many cases, young children offered to help as mother was doing chores, and instead of slapping away curious hands, mothers taught children how to help out safely, and cultivated this curiosity into lessons of personal responsibility as they got older. 

Children up until age 6 were treated as babies. The Greek root word for "little children" is παιδίον (Latin: paidion) and had connotations, in the Hebraic context, of a baby, meaning young children were seen as babies in Ancient Jewish culture, including the Early Church. So, when a young child had separation anxiety, mom was right there to supply the child with warmth and validation. 

A child who has separation anxiety is terrified of harm befalling their mother, and wants their mother in their sight at all times. So, mothers in biblical times simply never left the sight of children. This shows that children do care about their parents, but may have a funny way of showing it. Mothers knew that when a child was being extra clingy, they needed love, not punishment or "an ignoring message". 

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!