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

Many parents think that co-sleeping is the irresponsible choice to make as a parent. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents isolate their child in a crib or bed from day one. However, the Bible, as understood in context, endorses co-sleeping. Co-sleeping can help prevent child sexual abuse from happening in the first place.

Righteous co-sleeping 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 parents and children in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to submit to children just as they would to God, from beneath yet from above, expecting absolutely nothing in return. See also Matt. 22:35-40; 25:31-46.

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 tense 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 children under age 6 refuse to sleep on their own. This is a normal behavior in children that ends up with the child being punished. Most American parents punish their children when their child refuses to go to sleep. However, the fact of the matter is that children under age 6 are too young to sleep on their own. Most all, if not all, children under age 6 have a primal fear of being devoured by predators. Most parents think that predators are no longer a threat to children. However, most children are sexually abused as a bedtime ritual, meaning the perpetrator - usually their father - sneaks into the child's bedroom and rapes them. However, children in the Early Church co-slept next to their mother, in skin-on-skin format. When their father wanted to rape or sexually assault a child, he couldn't - mom was right there to put a stop to it. Mothers in biblical times usually used themselves as a human shield for if the father wanted to attack the children, and otherwise slept in between the children and their father, with the children staying on mom's side of the bed. 

The most common reason for parents avoiding co-sleeping is due to pediatricians or other mental health professionals serving children fearmongering about "sleep dependence". Most co-sleeping in biblical times had an end. Most co-sleeping in the Early Church ended at the onset of puberty, which was when most children wanted their own place to sleep. Until then, children co-slept next to mothers in skin-on-skin warmth every single night. Sometimes, children want to co-sleep until later, perhaps due to a developmental disorder such as autism, in which case parents should know also that there is always an end to co-sleeping. I didn't stop sleeping next to my mother until I was 16, when I wanted to prove my independence by sleeping on my own.

Co-sleeping is the ultimate way to bond with your child and form a secure attachment with them, and co-sleeping in the biblical context was intended primarily to gel the bond between parent and child, especially mother and child when in skin-on-skin format. The family bed was a concept in biblical times, in nude format - all parties laying in the family bed were completely in the nude. Children formed a bond with mothers through mothers skin-on-skin co-sleeping with their children. Fathers also imprinted on their children by watching children snuggle with their mother in the nude - fathers sexually imprinted on their child through righteous masturbation. Children always slept on the mother's side of the bed, and did so for good reason - the father might still be strongly attracted to his children at ages as young as 3. 

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!