Righteous co-sleeping: Why God wants you to sleep next to your child

Many parents think that co-sleeping is the irresponsible choice for a parent. Most American parents forego using co-sleeping as a way to bond with their children. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible, as understood in context, endorses co-sleeping as good suggestion. The idea behind proper attachment parenting is to use the context as a guidepost.

Righteous co-sleeping is part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission, with the burden of proof falling squarely on the part of the parent. 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 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 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 refuse to go to bed. This is a reason for punishment in many American homes. Many times in American homes, children are oftentimes punished for refusing to go to bed. However, the fact of the matter is that children under age 6 are too young to go to bed on their own. Children age 6 and under have primal fears of being devoured by predators. Many parents might say that there are no predators to be found in the context of the modern family home. However, predators exist in many homes in human format. Most child sexual abuse comes in the form of a bedtime ritual. The mothers in the Early Church solved this problem by allowing children to co-sleep next to them in skin-on-skin format. The mother slept in between the children and the man of the house, ready to use herself as a human shield if necessary. Usually, sexual abuse from fathers could not happen because the mother was right there.

The main argument keeping parents from co-sleeping next to their children is fearmongering of "sleep dependence" from pediatricians and mental health professionals serving children. However, the fact of the matter is that most co-sleeping in biblical times lasted until the onset of puberty, which is when most children wanted their own place to sleep. Sometimes, children want to co-sleep past the onset of puberty, which is a sign that they have a developmental disorder such as autism or ADHD. Even then, all co-sleeping has an end to it. I slept next to my mother until age 16, which is when I wanted to prove my independence by sleeping all by myself.

Righteous co-sleeping is a way to gel the bond between mother and child, and secondarily between father and child. The family bed in the Early Church was naked in terms of who was sleeping in it. The context of co-sleeping is where children got most of the skin-on-skin warmth that they needed. Even when children were mobile enough to play outside on their own, they almost always retired to the family bed come nightfall. This skin-on-skin co-sleeping ended when children reached the onset of puberty. Sometimes, co-sleeping ended sooner or later than the onset of puberty, in which case all co-sleeping had an end. 

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!