Time-in: Why mammary closeness is the biblical way of doing time-in

Many parents believe in putting children in time-out. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, some American parents are looking for alternatives to punishment. One stated alternative is time-in. There are many ways of doing time-in, including calming corners and kneeling down to children. However, the biblical way of doing time-in is mammary closeness.

Mammary closeness 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 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 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.

Time-in can be done in various ways. Some child advocates recommend that children be sent to a calming corner, and others recommend kneeling down to the child before reassuring them. However, there is one biblical way to do time-in - mammary closeness. Mammary closeness is when children are cooed at before being picked up and held close to the bosom of mothers. From there, mothers diagnosed the need and then met that need. Maybe the child was tired. Maybe the child was hungry. Maybe the child needed mom's milk. Maybe the child needed mom, period.

One method of mammary closeness is breastfeeding. When children under age 6 cried, they were offered the teat of mothers. This breastfeeding happened even in public, with young children suckling the teat of mothers, lasting until the child refused the teat of mothers. When the child refused the teat of mothers, they were then introduced to solid foods. Most children refused the teat of mothers around age 2, with some children continuing to suckle the teat of mothers until age 6 or even older.

Mammary closeness is ideally done in skin-on-skin format. In biblical times, children went naked wherever they went, with mothers also going naked within the confines of the family home. When you try skin-on-skin mammary closeness with your children as a mother, your only regret will be not doing it sooner. 

The breasts of women are not intended primarily for the sexualization of men. Instead, the female breasts were intended primarily for nurturing children. Whenever children are held close to the bosom of mothers, they are cushioned in skin-on-skin format, then lulled to sleep by hearing the mother's heartbeat. Children who were milk-dependent latched onto the nipple of the mother, suckling her teat until the day that the child refused the teat of mothers.

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!