Righteous pampering: Why God wants you to pamper your children

Many parents think that pampering your child is the irresponsible choice on the part of parents. Most American parents take up this attitude. However, the fact of the matter is that God wants you to pamper your children. There is a specific way of pampering children that shows in the biblical context.

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 ultimately refers to a secure attachment between parent and child. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to submit to 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 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 them 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 any and all punishment of a child in his 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 during 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 largely persecuted for being "too soft" on their children.

Children, when going strictly by the context, are to be pampered in a specific way. For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning that wherever mothers went, so did their child. Children aged 0-2 were constantly held, either in mom's arms, or in a papoose bag when mothers were doing chores. When children were aged 2-6, they ranged next to mothers, not allowing mothers to as much as go in the other room without carrying a screaming fit. Children, when in the house, were comforted when they cried by mothers cooing at them before picking them up. Even older children, when they cried, were comforted by being held next to the mother's bosom. Children went naked wherever they went, and mothers went naked when at home, only wearing clothing when leaving the house. Mothers and children co-slept next to each other in skin-on-skin format, with this co-sleeping lasting until the onset of puberty, which was when children wanted their own place to sleep.

Cooing at children is a primal way of reassuring and validating a child's cries. This cooing made children feel heard, even if they couldn't have what they wanted. Mothers would always coo at their children before picking them up, and then cooed some more while cradling their child in her bosom. Most gentle parenting advice supports saying "I'm here". But, all you have to do is coo at your child, and pick them up like they are a baby.

When out and about in public, children were swaddled next to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets. Children were tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress of mothers that resembled an apron. The swaddling blankets were made of velvet, which was grown throughout the Ancient Middle East. The swaddling blankets were tied to the left breast, then across the dot to the right leg, or vice versa, or both in the case of twins. Children who were swaddled were held closer to the bosom of mothers when they cried. 

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