Time-in: Why mammary closeness is the biblical form of time-in

Many parents support time-out, and then maybe the occasional disciplinary spanking done "out of love". This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents don't support time-in. However, time-in is the proper way to deal with a crying child, and there is a proper way of doing time-out - mammary closeness.

Mammary closeness 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 mother 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. See also 22:35-40.

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 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 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 during his time as a deacon. 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.

Mammary closeness was how mothers reassured their children. Mammary closeness is when young children - under age 6 especially - are held to the bosom of mothers. Whenever children cried, mothers cooed at their children before picking them up. Mammary closeness was when children were held next to the bosom of mothers, in most cases with mothers cradling their crying children in their arms, in skin-on-skin format. Mammary closeness also involved breastfeeding for milk-dependent children, with the mother breastfeeding their milk-dependent children to sleep. 

When mothers were out and about with children, they swaddled their children next to their bosom, in swaddling blankets. From there, the child was tucked underneath her loose-fitting, revealing dress that resembled an apron. The swaddling blankets were tied from the left breast, then across the dot to the right leg, or vice versa, or both in the case of twins. Whenever children cried while swaddled to mothers, they did so quietly, with mothers cooing before holding their child close, in skin-on-skin mammary closeness. The swaddling blankets were made of velvet, which was grown throughout the Ancient Middle East.

Most gentle parenting advice calls for parents to stoop down to the level of the crying child. However, mothers in biblical times instead picked up their children when they cried. This includes breastfeeding any child that was milk-dependent. Older children who were weaned were instead cradled next to the bosom of their children in skin-on-skin mammary closeness. 

The female breasts were not designed primarily for men to sexualize. Instead, the female breasts were intended to nourish and sustain children. Mammary closeness is when children are held to the bosom of mothers, in order to sustain or nourish them.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke your 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!