The word "no": Why the word "no" should be rare in a Christian home

All parents have had to say "no" at some point. Authoritative parenting advice tells us falsely that children need to hear the word "no" frequently and often. However, the fact of the matter is that the word "no" should be very rare in the family home. Children call the shots in a proper Christian home.

Children calling the shots 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 in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to submit to their children dutifully and selflessly, as they would 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 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.

The word "no" was a rare occurrence in a home in the Early Church. Instead, children called the shots. Children had the right to issue righteous demands, with parents being obligated to obey the every order of their child. The only reasons for saying "no" to a child was when the orders coming from the child were unworkable and/or immoral. Otherwise, saying "no" to your dependent child was unlawful. The child themselves could bring their parents before the council. If parents were found guilty, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God.

Upon getting out the word "no", children were usually disappointed, and many times cried or whined. The idea is to pick up the child, and give the child skin-on-skin comfort and sustenance, reassuring them by cooing at them. Cooing is a primal way that mothers can reassure a disappointed child. This usually took place in the context of birth nudity, when mother and child was quartered in the nude next to each other, in skin-on-skin comfort, in the family home.

Children usually, in biblical times, wanted to leave the house before they were ready, but there were hazards abound - they had to wait until age 6 to be given freedom. Hazards included venomous snakes and scorpions. Today, hazards include busy streets - most children don't understand the dangerousness of a busy street, and won't until they are around age 6. Thus, birth nudity does have validity today as a parenting strategy.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke 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!