Temper tantrums in toddlers: What to do about toddler temper tantrums

'Tis Christmastime once more. It is around this time of year that many toddlers are overwhelmed, and throw temper tantrums. Most parents see these temper tantrums as an "embarrassment", or else the child is "undermining" their "authority" over the child. The fact of the matter is that toddlers kicking and screaming is a sign of unmet needs, not a sign of any plot or conspiracy to "undermine adult authority"

The doctrine of mutual submission is where the solution to a tantrumming toddler lies. 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 to, in context, secure attachment between parent and child in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to submit to children as they would God, expecting absolutely nothing in return, from beneath yet from above.

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 lifting up the Law in order to convict a group of Greek Christians 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 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 brought out the scourge of cords in order to punish their children, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were persecuted largely for being "too soft" on their children.

Temper tantrums in toddlers were uncommon in the Early Christian Churches of God. Children did cry like children today do, for the most part. However, toddlers cried quietly. This is because toddlers were frequently held, most of the time in the mother's arms. Sometimes, however, mom had her hands full, in which case the child was placed in a papoose bag. Either way, children up until age 3 were held constantly. When toddlers cried then, they cried quietly, as they were constantly being held. 

Part of being held constantly was being breastfed. Whenever children latched on to the breasts of mother, they were breastfed to sleep. Children were breastfed, in most cases, until around age 3, which was when they usually pushed away the mother's nipple. However, sometimes, children were weaned - meaning pushed away the nipple - at age 6 or even older. 

When toddlers were with their mothers out in public, the child was swaddled next to the bosom of mothers, in swaddling blankets. The child was tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress of the mother, that resembled an apron. The swaddling blankets were made of velvet, which was grown throughout the Ancient Middle East. The swaddling blankets were tied around the mother's left breast, then, from there, tied across the dot to the mother's right leg, or vice versa, or both in the case of twins. When children were swaddled, they continued to cry silently, and then mothers attended to the cries of their child, perhaps breastfeeding them to sleep if milk-hungry.

Toddlers in biblical times, unlike toddlers today, were constantly held, and were not seen as stationery children. Babyhood lasted until the child turned age 6. When children were under age 3, they were constantly held by mothers, either in her arms or in a papoose bag. The papoose bag was for when mothers were doing chores around the house. 

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 in 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!