Righteous pampering: Why the Bible prescribes pampering children

Many parents think that pampering children is the irresponsible choice as a parent. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents want to be seen as tough on their children. However, the Bible prescribes attachment parenting. When understood in context, the Bible prescribes pampering and babying 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: 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 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 Matt. 22:35-40. 

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to damages or damages, 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 was 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 Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and oppose 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 largely persecuted due to being "too soft" on their children.

Righteous pampering does not mean just pampering your children some of the time, but instead all of the time, in a specific way. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did her child. For the first 2 years of childhood, children were constantly held by mothers, either in her loving arms, or on her back in a papoose bag when mom's hands were full. Between ages 2-6, children ranged next to mothers, following mom from room to room, not allowing mom out of their line of sight, with children morbidly fearing mom "going away and never coming back". Whenever a child cried, mothers cooed before picking them up, with the cooing serving to put children at ease. From there, mothers diagnosed the need of the child. Maybe the child was hungry. Maybe the child was tired. Maybe the child needed mom's milk. Maybe all the child needed was mom, period. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers, with co-sleeping lasting until the onset of puberty, when children wanted their own place to sleep. Children went naked wherever they went, and mothers were naked within the family home, with this setup facilitating skin-on-skin warmth and sustenance when children cried.

When out and about in public, children under age 6 were wrapped up next to the bosom of mother in swaddling blankets. From there, the swaddling blankets were tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress of mothers 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. The swaddling blankets were made of velvet, which was grown throughout the Ancient Middle East.

After age 6, children played freely outside, naked. Children traveled farther and farther away from home, exploring the terrain, playing even high-risk games such as "marriage", where children role-played a marriage ceremony. Then, children retreated back to mothers in order to recharge in skin-on-skin co-sleeping closeness. Children were first called by name to receive a warm meal from mothers, before snuggling next to mothers in skin-on-skin co-sleeping. When children shook off co-sleeping, it was the beginning of the end of mother-child closeness.

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!