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

Many parents think that co-sleeping is the irresponsible choice. This is a common attitude amongst American parents regarding co-sleeping. Most American parents feel uncomfortable with sharing a bed with their child. However, co-sleeping not only can help gel a bond with one's child, but it can also protect a child from child sexual abuse.

Righteous co-sleeping is the centerpiece of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. See also 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 child 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 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 go to bed on their own. This is a normal behavior for a child when forced to be isolated in a room by themselves. Most parents think that the child is undermining them, and then punish them based on that basis. However, the fact of the matter is that children that young are too young to sleep on their own. Children under age 6 have primal fears about being devoured by predators when isolated in a room alone. Most parents might think that those days are gone, but there are modern-day predators of children. Most child sexual abuse takes place as a bedtime ritual. The way mothers in the Early Church protected their children from the sexual entitlement of their fathers was to sleep next to them. Usually, nothing could happen because the mother was right there, perhaps ready to use herself as a human shield for her children. Usually, mothers slept in between the father and his children, with co-sleeping always happening in skin-on-skin format. The family bed was nude in terms of how the family slept. 

The main argument against co-sleeping is that it causes "sleep dependence". This is a form of fearmongering coming from pediatricians and mental health professionals serving children, with this scaring parents away from co-sleeping next to their children. However, the fact of the matter is that children growing up in the Early Church, in most cases, shook off their parents in the context of co-sleeping once they reached the onset of puberty. When puberty came, children usually wanted their own place to sleep. If co-sleeping doesn't end by this point, the child likely has a developmental disorder such as autism or ADHD. Even then, there comes a time when they outgrow their parents' bed, and want to sleep alone. I myself have autism, and slept next to my parents until I was 16. At age 16, I wanted to prove my independence to my parents, which is why most children shake off their parents from co-sleeping next to them.

Co-sleeping is the main way to gel a bond with your child. Most co-sleeping in biblical times happened in the form of skin-on-skin co-sleeping closeness. For the first several years of co-sleeping, children were snuggled close to mothers, with both mother and child being naked. Co-sleeping served as a form of skin-on-skin bonding time between mothers and children. The more the man of the house saw of this birth nudity, the more he got used to seeing his children naked. It is recommended that fathers masturbate righteously to sexual thoughts of their child, which should serve to spend away the parent attraction to his children.

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!