Righteous pampering: Why God wants Christian parents to pamper their children

Many parents think that pampering children is the irresponsible choice on the part of a parent. Most American parents want to be seen as strict and tough. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, the Bible says, in context, that God wants you to pamper and baby your 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 secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. This word ultimately refers to a secure attachment between parent and child. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, meaning that 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 was understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including, but not limited to, any punishments, reprimands, and 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 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.

Righteous pampering refers to pampering children 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 the child. During the first 2 years of childhood, children were constantly held, either in mom's loving arms, or on mom's 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 letting mom out of their line of sight, morbidly fearing that mom would "go away and never come back". Whenever children cried, mothers cooed before picking up the child, and from there, diagnosing the need and meeting it. Maybe the child was tired. Maybe the child was hungry. Maybe the child needed mom's milk. Maybe the child needed mom, period. When mothers and children were out and about, mothers wrapped up their children - under age 6 - in swaddling blankets, then tucked the blankets - and the child in them - underneath her loose-fitting, revealing dress that resembled an apron. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers, with this co-sleeping lasting until the onset of puberty, when most children wanted their own place to sleep. Children went naked wherever they went, with mothers also being naked in the confines of the family home, with this birth nudity facilitating skin-on-skin sustaining warmth quite easily - all it took was picking up the child, and the child got skin-on-skin warmth and sustenance.

After the child turned age 6, they were allowed to roam freely throughout the neighborhood, playing outside freely, while naked. Children ventured farther and farther from home, exploring the terrain, playing high-risk games such as "marriage". But, when nightfall came, children were called by name and given a nice, warm dinner on a plate. From there, children co-slept next to mothers in order to recharge, so that they could venture even farther from home the next day. But, children had to check in with mothers before going out and about, and tell mom where they were going. Young children - under age 6 - were not allowed outside of the house, as their brain was still forming, and thus they did not appreciate the dangers that existed outside the family home. 

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!