Righteous co-sleeping: Why God wants parents to sleep next to their children

Many parents think that co-sleeping is the irresponsible choice to make as a parent. Most American parents oppose co-sleeping. However, the fact of the matter is that co-sleeping not only helps with the parent-child bond, but it also helps to protect children from child sexual abuse.

Righteous co-sleeping is a part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. The doctrine of mutual submission in parenting is spelled out in 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 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 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. The 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 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.

It is common knowledge that many children under age 6 refuse to go to bed on their own. This is a source of contention in many homes, with this leading to punishment of children who stay up past their bedtime. However, the fact of the matter is that children under age 6 are not ready to sleep on their own. Young children in that age bracket have a primal fear of being devoured by predators. One might say that there are no predators today, and they would be wrong. Most child sexual abuse happens as a bedtime ritual, meaning the perpetrator sneaks into the child's room and then rapes the child. Children know this can happen on a primal level, and then resist going to bed alone. Co-sleeping is a safe way to protect your child from predators, including potential predators in your own home. Mothers in the Early Church slept next to their children, in skin-on-skin format, in order to guard them against sexual predation from fathers. The mother was right there, so nothing could happen to her child. If necessary, mothers used themselves as a human shield when the father tried to rape his children. 

The main argument against co-sleeping is that it leads to "sleep dependence". This is a common argument from pediatricians and mental health professionals serving children. However, the fact of the matter is that children co-slept next to mothers in biblical times in skin-on-skin format, with this co-sleeping lasting until the onset of puberty, which was when children wanted their own place to sleep. This is when most children want their own place to sleep. When a child does not want to sleep on their own past the onset of puberty, they might have a form of autism, or else they may have an attachment injury. An attachment injury is when a secure attachment was interrupted prematurely.

Co-sleeping is the ultimate way to bond with your child. Roughly between the ages of 0-10, children in the Early Church co-slept next to their mothers, in skin-on-skin format. Children went naked wherever they went, with mothers also going naked within the confines of the family home. Come nightfall, children snuggled into bed with mothers, in skin-on-skin co-sleeping format. Fathers just had to get used to sharing a bed with their young children, and did so by way of righteous masturbation, or masturbation in order to stay out of trouble. The family bed, in the Early Christian context, was nude in terms of who was sleeping in it. 

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!