Righteous pampering: Why God wants you to pamper your children

Many parents in America don't want to be seen as pampering their children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents don't want to be seen as pampering their children. However, there is a proper way to pamper a child that is spelled out in the biblical context. 

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 in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to submit to their children just 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 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.

Righteous pampering is not just pampering your child, but pampering and babying children in a specific fashion. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were in constant closeness with their mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did the child. For the first 2 years of childhood, children were constantly held by mothers, either in her 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 mom around from room to room, not letting mom out of their line of sight, morbidly fearing that mothers would "go away and never come back". Whenever children cried, mothers cooed before picking up a child, and from there, mom diagnosed the need in the child, providing for their every need. When children under age 6 were out and about with mothers, mom wrapped up the child next to her bosom in swaddling blankets, with the swaddling blankets - and the child with them - were 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 this skin-on-skin co-sleeping closeness happening every night until the onset of puberty, which was when children wanted their own place to sleep. Children went naked wherever they went in biblical times, with mothers also going naked within the confines of the family home. This birth nudity setup allowed for easy skin-on-skin bonding time between mothers and children, with children getting skin-on-skin time every time the mother picked up a child.

After children turned age 6, they played freely outside with neighborhood friends, naked. Children ventured farther and farther from home, exploring the terrain, playing high-risk games such as "marriage". However, children had to first report to mom and tell her where they are going. Come nightfall, children were called by name by their parents come dinnertime, when children were given a nice meal on a porcelain plate. Then, children co-slept next to mom in order to recharge for another day's play.

Children under age 6 were not allowed to play outside. Instead, young children were in constant closeness to mothers. The reason for this setup was to keep children away from environmental hazards, such as venomous snakes or scorpions, with there being no antivenom then. Even today, environmental hazards exist when children are allowed outdoors - busy streets and oncoming traffic. Young children under age 6 do not yet understand the dangers that exist outdoors, and can't understand the dangers even when told to by parents. Children in the Early Church were very much protected by their parents, in a sheltered way.

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!