Righteous pampering: Why the Bible says to pamper your children

Many parents think that pampering their children is the irresponsible choice on the part of a parent. Most parents want to be seen as strict on their children. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible, when understood in context, calls for parents to pamper and baby their children.

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 a secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. This word ultimately refers to a secure attachment between parents and children in the family home. This secure attachment was based off of 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 Matt. 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 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 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 deacon. Indeed, Greco-Roman parents 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.

Righteous pampering calls on parents to pamper and baby their children, but in just the right way. For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did the child, stemming from entitlement. For the first 2 years of childhood, children were constantly held by mothers, either in her loving arms, or else on her back in a papoose bag when her hands were full. Between ages 2-6, children ranged next to mothers, following her from room to room, not allowing mom out of their line of sight, with children morbidly fearing mothers "going away, and never coming back". Whenever children cried, mothers cooed at their children before picking them up, then holding them to their bosom in mammary closeness. When mothers were out and about, children were wrapped up next to their bare bosom, in swaddling blankets, with the child then tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress that resembled an apron. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers in skin-on-skin format, with co-sleeping lasting until the child reached the age of puberty, when children wanted their own place to sleep. Children went naked in biblical times wherever they went, with mothers going naked in the family. 

Children, after age 6, played freely outside with the children in the neighborhood, naked. Children ventured farther and farther from home, exploring the terrain, then coming home to mom come dusk. Children were called by their name when dinner was ready, and after dinner, slept next to mothers in co-sleeping format in order to recharge. When children shook off co-sleeping closeness, that was the beginning of the end of the closeness between parents and children.

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!