Righteous pampering: Why God wants you to pamper your child

Many parents think that it is not a good choice to pamper your children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents don't even want to be seen as pampering children. However, the Bible, as understood in context, says to pamper and baby your child. 

Righteous pampering is part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission, with parents bearing the burden of proof towards their children. 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 ultimately 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 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.

Righteous pampering doesn't mean any old pampering, but pampering children in a certain specific way. For the first 6 years of childhood, children growing up in the Early Church were in constant closeness to their mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did her child. For the first 2 years of childhood, children were constantly held by their 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 her from room to room, not letting mom out of their sight, morbidly fearing that mom would "go away and never come back". Whenever children cried, mothers cooed at their children before picking them up, and from there, she diagnosed and 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. Whenever mothers and children under age 6 were out and about, mom wrapped up the child next to her bosom in swaddling blankets, with the swaddling blankets - and the child with them - being tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress worn by mothers that resembled an apron. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers in skin-on-skin format, with this skin-on-skin co-sleeping warmth happening every night, until the onset of puberty, which is when most children wanted their own place to sleep. Children went naked wherever they went, with mothers also going naked within the confines of the family home. This birth nudity setup helped facilitate easy skin-on-skin contact, with children experiencing skin-on-ski friction every time the child was picked up.

After children turned age 6, children played freely outside, while naked. Children ventured farther and farther from home each day, exploring the terrain, playing high-risk games such as "marriage". However, children had to check in with mom before playing outside. Come nightfall, children were called one by one by name, and then were fed a nice, warm meal on a porcelain plate, cooked by mom. From there, children co-slept next to mothers, recharging for another day's play. Children past age 6 learned not through going to school, but through their own natural curiosity, with this including religious learning and instruction.

Children under age 6 were rarely allowed to be outside except when swaddled next to the bosom of mothers. This was because mothers then knew that children could not comprehend the dangers existing outside of the family home. Dangers then included venomous snakes and scorpions, with there being no antivenom then. Today, the dangers for children include busy streets and oncoming traffic. Mothers of children under age 6 are advised to keep their children home, nursing them and tending to them in skin-on-skin format. 

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!