Righteous pampering: Why God wants you to pamper your children

Many parents believe that pampering children is the irresponsible choice coming from a parent. Most parents believe that children should be punished or be treated in a controlling manner in order to "get" them to behave. The fact of the matter, however, is that children need to be pampered and babied. 

Righteous pampering is part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. See Colossians 3:20-21 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in all things: as 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 parents and children. 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 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 under the Law as the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen then 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 during his time as a 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 largely persecuted due to being "too soft" on their children.

Righteous pampering denotes pampering children, but with that pampering done a certain specific 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. For the first 2 years of a child's life, children were constantly held by mothers, either in her loving arms, or else on her back in a papoose bag when mom's hands were full. Between ages 2-6, children ranged next to mothers, following her from room to room, not allowing mom out of their sight, fearing that mom would "go away and never come back". Mothers were quick to coo in order to reassure her children of her presence. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers, with this co-sleeping ending at the onset of puberty, when children wanted their own place to sleep. Both mother and child were in the nude in the family home, with children going naked wherever they went.

Whenever a child cried, mothers cooed at their children in order to put them at ease. From there, mothers diagnosed the needs of the child. Sometimes the child was hungry. Sometimes the child was tired. Sometimes the child simply needed loving attention. Never did children undermine their parents, as crying in children comes from a vulnerable need, not a desire to undermine parents.

Children past age 6 played outside freely, while being naked. Children ventured farther and farther from home, exploring the terrain, playing even high-risk games such as "marriage". However, before children could play outside, they had to check in with mom. Children were not even allowed to play outside under age 6 because they had no concept of environmental dangers such as venomous snakes and scorpions. Today, children are endangered by oncoming traffic and would-be child abductors. But, once they turned 6, they were allowed to play outside naked. This can be applied today as letting older children play outside until the street lights come on. Children in biblical times played freely in the nude until their name was called, which signaled that dinner was ready, and then after that, children recharged in the sustaining warmth of co-sleeping next to mom.

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!