"Terrible twos": What to do about this stage in childhood development

Most parents have to deal with it at some point. The "terrible twos" are when children aged 2-6 throw frequent temper tantrums, destroy property, and what not. Most parents react to the "terrible twos" by punishing their young child or else ignoring their temper tantrums. Most parents don't know that children aged 2-6 are still babies. Most behavioral issues in young children are due to them being separated prematurely. 

The solution to the "terrible twos" is the Christian doctrine of mutual submission, where children surrender in the loving 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 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. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul to lift up the customary law that commands a secure attachment between parents and children in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents submit to children as their enemy, from beneath yet from above, expecting absolutely nothing in return.

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, nut 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, reprimands, 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. Paal 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.

The "terrible twos" are a modern parenting problem. They didn't have the problem of toddlers throwing massive temper tantrums in biblical times. Toddlers cried, but they were quickly tended to. This is because a toddler was seen as a baby. All children under age 6 were seen as babies, and were treated as babies by broader society. Young children were righteously infantilized, meaning held close to mothers and watched close by mothers in the way babies under age 1 are today. 

A 2-year-old, and all children that were milk-dependent, were constantly held, like babies. Most children in biblical times were weaned by age 3, by the child pushing away the nipple of the mother. But, sometimes, children were only weaned at age 6, or even later in some cases where children had growth conditions. When toddlers cried, they were immediately comforted, and usually were offered to breastfeed by their mothers. Mothers comforted their children by cooing and cradling the toddler in their arms. Cooing helped validate the upset of the child.

When mothers were out and about in public, their toddlers were swaddled to their bosom in swaddling blankets, and possibly breastfed in public if the child summoned the mother to do so. The child was swaddled while tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress of mothers that resembled an apron. The swaddling blankets were made of velvet, with velvet being grown throughout the Ancient Middle East. The swaddling blankets were tied to the left breast of the mother, then across the dot to the right leg of the mother, or vice versa, or both in the case of twins. Children were comforted by mothers holding the child closer to her bosom, and cooing to validate the upset of the child.

Punishing or reprimanding a toddler for crying is a provocation to anger according to Christian law. This is because punishments or reprimands come from a controlling place, and thus are entitlement. Any parental entitlement perceived by the child as offensive or damaging is child abuse by the biblical standard. See also Eph. 6:4. Parental entitlement is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition.

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!