Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. Parents are the enemy of children, just as mankind is the enemy of God, and are to submit as such. Child surrender to parents came with strings attached on the part of parents, meaning children could issue righteous demands to parents, usually when parents weren't pulling their weight.
The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers to damages or offenses, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of damages or offenses 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. 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 children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his secular writings. Paul may not have gotten along with the women of the church, but he sure loved children, and even took in a few children in his time. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers used the scourge of cords on children as a form of punishment, but NOT the Christians among them.
The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to here, in this context, to modeling and encouraging Judeo-Christian family values, including Christian discipline. Christian discipline is defined as deserving of absolutely nothing, therefore grateful for absolutely everything, coming from a sinful nature, leading to a chastened up example for children to follow. Christian parents in the Early Church centered their entitlement in view of their children, and then children followed in their footsteps. Children then were caught being good, as opposed to being caught being bad. Whenever children were caught emulating the disciplined example of parents, they were given lavish praise and encouragement for children to "keep headed down the straight path". Boys were given manly praise when caught being good by fathers, whereas girls were given snuggles and physical affection when caught being good by fathers. Sometimes, children needed direct instruction from parents. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers to the advice and counsel of parents, meaning that parents can only give advice as needed, or else counsel their children when they are upset. Otherwise, parents were under the divine authority of children.
Judeo-Christian family values do not need to be beaten into a child, and besides, punitive parenting is ineffective at imparting Judeo-Christian family values. A big part of teaching Judeo-Christian values is modeling such values to your children. Children grow up almost entirely on their own, and are capable of picking up Judeo-Christian family values on their own, as long as they have a good Judeo-Christian example. The idea is to keep all of the commandments in front of them, and also take an undeserving attitude towards life. Children are copying everything you do, for good or for bad, and so when you see a child emulating your Judeo-Christian attitudes, be sure to lavishly praise and encourage children to keep up the good works. From there, good behavior should show in increments, with each incremental change being rewarded with praise and encouragement. The main behaviors to start to praise and encourage are self-control and patience.
Children were given a religious education by their fathers. It all started with fathers leaving out a Bible for the child to find. When children picked up the Bible, and started reading it, fathers praised and encouraged children with phrases such as "that book is good for you". From there, religion was a constant topic of discussion in family homes, with children being eager to learn about Christ, and with fathers giving pointers on the context. Original sin was the last lesson children learned about the facts of life. The doctrine of original sin usually startled children once discovered, and so parents then comforted their children.
What motivated the learning of Judeo-Christian family values in children? Children were motivated to learn by way of secure attachment, primarily to mothers, and secondarily to fathers, For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did the child. The Early Christians practiced birth nudity, where mother and child were quartered in the nude next to each other, in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy. Whenever a child cried, mothers cooed before picking up the child, and held them close to their bosom, in skin-on-skin mammary closeness. When mothers were out and about in public, they swaddled their children next to their bosom in swaddling blankets. Breastfeeding was allowed in all settings in biblical times, including in public, with children who were crying, in most cases, being breastfed to sleep. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers in skin-on-skin comfort and nourishment, being breastfed to sleep every night until the child pushed away the nipple. Co-sleeping usually ended when the child reached the onset of puberty.
Fathers also nurtured, but from afar, by encouraging good discipline and values in children. It is the role of mothers to nurture and reassure children, delighting in them however they feel. It is the role of fathers to nurture a different way, meaning a teaching way. Fathers got to the level of being able to nurture like mothers (but in a teaching way) through righteous masturbation. A man who takes the plunge and masturbates to sexual thoughts of his children usually ends up anti-spanking by the time the parent attraction is spent away. Once spent away, the sexual instincts of fathers serve as a male nurturing instinct. Fatherly nurturing is about encouraging a love for God and His Law.
The depraved and entitled parents who provoke your children to wrath through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever 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 day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!
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