Time-in: Why mammary closeness is the biblical way of doing time-in

Many parents think that children, when they have temper tantrums or meltdowns, are deserving of punishment. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents support punishments such as time-out, spanking, and loss of privileges. However, the answer to a crying or tantrumming child is time-in. There is a proper, biblical way to do time-in, and that is mammary closeness.

Time-in is part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission, where children surrender into the loving arms of their mothers in particular. 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 surrender to parents comes with strings attached on the part of parents, where children could issue lawfully binding orders from their place of rest, usually when parents weren't pulling their weight in the family home.

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, but not limited to, any punishments, reprimands, or other 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 convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children to the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his writings. Indeed, Greco-Roman parents used the scourge of cords to punish their children, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were hated for being "too soft" on their children.

Time-in is NOT the same as time-out. There are many ways to do a time-in, but there is only one biblical way to do time-in. That way involves mammary closeness. Whenever children cried, mothers swooped in to the rescue, cooing at their children in order to validate their upset, then holding them next to their bosom in mammary closeness. When in the family home, both mothers and children were naked next to each other in a state of birth nudity. When out and about, children who cried were either swaddled next to the bosom of mother (if they were under age 6) or else tucked beneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress of mothers that resembled an apron. Either way, children were given the mammary closeness that they needed. When children needed to be breastfed, they were breastfed wherever they were summoned to breastfeed, including in public if necessary.

Mammary closeness can be replicated today. In the family home, this means the woman of the house needs to be in the nude next to her child, in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy That way, it is easier to engage with your child skin-on-skin mammary closeness. When out and about, when a child is crying, take them to the ladies' room and, when in a stall, tuck the child underneath your shirt. If you can tell that your child needs to be breastfed, know that it is legal in all 50 states to breastfeed in public. 

The breasts of women are not there primarily for men to sexualize. They are there primarily to provide nourishment and sustenance to children. Mammary closeness is the natural way of dealing with a crying or tantrumming child, and it also is the biblical way. Just engage in skin-on-skin mammary closeness once with your child, and you'll regret doing it sooner. 

The ultimate goal of mammary closeness is to have the child hear the mother's heartbeat, which soothes the child. When you soothe a child this way, their tears fall silent, and then it is easier for mothers to reassure and validate upset. Most of the time, all a mother has to do with their child is coo at them before placing them on their bosom. This cooing helps calm down the child by making them feel heard, and mammary closeness does the rest at soothing and reassuring upsets in children. That reassurance ultimately comes from hearing the mother's heartbeat.

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!