Public meltdowns: How to deal with public meltdowns (without punishment or force)

Many parents have to deal with it. A meltdown in public. Most American parents have had to deal with public meltdowns every once and a while. The fact of the matter is that public meltdowns can be dealt with without punishment. 

Mothers in biblical times, as part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission, held their children in swaddling blankets, with children surrendering into the loving arms of mothers. See Colossians 3:20-21 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in all things: as 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 ultimately refers to a secure attachment between parent and child in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to submit to their children as they would to God, 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, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived 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 got 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.

Children in biblical times rarely had public meltdowns, and those that did happen occurred in the form of silent tears. When out and about in public, mothers swaddled their children - under age 6 - next to their bosom, 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 mothers, then were tied from there across the dot to the right leg of the mother, or vice versa, or both in the case of twins. Children, from there, were tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress of mothers that resembled an apron. When children cried while swaddled next to their mothers, they cried silently, while held closer to the bosom of mothers, with mothers then cooing at their children.

Mothers breastfed their children to sleep when they had their moments in public. For as long as the child accepts the nipple, that is how long breastfeeding should go. Most children in biblical times were weaned by age 2, whereas some children weren't weaned until age 6 or even older. When the child pushes away the nipple, they are ready for solid foods.

Children older than age 6 sometimes had their moments in public, usually crying and whining. From there, mothers cooed at their crying child before picking up the child. From there, mothers cradled the older child in her arms, reassuring the child with her maternal warmth. The common gentle parenting advice is to kneel down to the child. The fact of the matter is that, in the biblical context, children were picked up and nurtured like a baby when they cried.

Cooing at children was a primal way of reassuring a child that their needs have been heard. Crying and whining are primal ways that children communicate their needs. Cooing at children, to be clear, is a promise that help is on the way, and mom is about to snuggle and cuddle with you even, since she can tell that you as a child are having a hard time.

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 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!