Time-in: Why mammary closeness is the way to do time-in

Many parents think that when their child cries, that the child deserves punishment. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most children in America have to endure time-out, and then maybe the occasional disciplinary spanking when the child's cries are that "egregious". However, the right way to deal with a crying child is to do time-in. Time-in has a biblical application to it - mammary closeness.

Mammary closeness is a part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. See Colossians 3:20-21 KJV:

Children, obey your children 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 the biblical times as holding your child hostage merely for things that they do 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.

Time-in is a necessary part of attachment parenting. However, there is a biblical way of doing time-in. Whenever children cried in the Early Church, mothers picked them up, and held them close to her bosom in mammary closeness. From there, mothers diagnosed the need, and then met the need. Maybe the child was tired. Maybe the child was hungry. Maybe the child needed mom's milk. Maybe the child needed mom, period. 

When children were milk-dependent, mothers breastfed their children with their teat. Mammary closeness initially involves children latching onto the teat of the mother. This setup is to continue until the child refuses the teat of the mother. Usually, children refused the teat of mothers at around age 2, but sometimes, children up until age 6 or even beyond were breastfed. Mothers breastfed whenever and wherever they were when called to by their child, including even in public. The child was breastfed until they went to sleep.

Mammary closeness was practiced even in public by mothers. When mothers were out and about in public, they wrapped up their young child - under age 6 - to her bosom in swaddling blankets. From there, the swaddling blankets - and the child with them - were tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress that mothers wore in public 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. When children cried while swaddled next to mothers, they cried silently. When that happened, mothers held the child closer to her bosom. Infants, toddlers, and very young children were offered the teat to latch onto, until they refused the teat of mothers. The swaddling blankets were made of velvet, which grew throughout the Ancient Middle East. 

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!