Righteous pampering: Why God wants children to be pampered

Many parents believe that pampering children is the irresponsible choice. Most parents avoid even the appearance of pampering their children. This is a common attitude amongst American children. The fact of the matter is that not only is it acceptable to pamper your children, but, in fact, they need it. 

Righteous pampering is part of 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. This word refers, ultimately, to secure attachment, meaning secure attachment is a commandment from God. Secure attachment comes from parent submission, meaning parents are to submit to their children.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to damages or offenses, namely the slightest of offensive touch or speech 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 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 to 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 orphaned children in his time. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers used the scourge of cords to punish their children, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were hated largely for being "too soft" on their children.

Righteous pampering means that not only is it acceptable for children to be pampered, but, in fact, they need it. Righteous pampering also denotes that children be pampered in a specific manner stated in the context. 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 next to each other in the nude, in the family home, in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy. Whenever children cried, mothers cooed before picking them up, then holding the child next to their bosom in skin-on-skin mammary closeness.

When out and about in public, young children - under age 6 - were swaddled to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets. The swaddling blankets were made of velvet, which was 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. When children cried in public, it was silent tears, and children were then held closer to the bosom of mothers, perhaps being breastfed right there and then.

Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers in skin-on-skin format. Children who were milk-dependent were breastfed to sleep before sleeping next to mothers. Breastfeeding usually ended at around age 3 - when the child pushed away the nipple - but sometimes, the breastfeeding lasted until age 6. Children shook off the nighttime closeness of parents, in most cases, at the onset of puberty. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger 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 Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!