Righteous pampering: Why God wants you to pamper and baby your children

Many parents don't want to be seen as pampering their children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents oppose the idea of pampering and babying children. However, the Bible states, in context, that children are to be pampered and babied by parents. 

Righteous pampering is part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission, with the burden of proof falling squarely onto parents. 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 their 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 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, when using the context as a guidepost, does not refer to simply any old pampering, but instead pampering and babying children in a certain specific way. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were in constant closeness to parents, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did her child. For the first 2 years of childhood, children were constantly held by mothers, either in her loving arms, or else 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 allowing mom out of their line of sight, morbidly fearing that mom would "go away and never come back. Whenever children cried, mothers cooed at children before picking them up, and from there, she diagnosed the need and then met it. Maybe the child was tired. Maybe the child was hungry. Maybe the child needed mom's milk. Maybe the child needed mom, period. When mothers and children under age 6 were out and about in public, mom wrapped up her 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 sustaining warmth, with this co-sleeping warmth happening every night, until the onset of puberty, which is when 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 warmth, with children getting rays of skin-on-skin contact even when simply being picked up.

Past age 6, children played outside freely, naked. Children past age 6 ventured farther and farther from home, exploring the terrain, playing high-risk games such as "marriage". However, children needed to check in with mom first and tell her where they were going, before going anywhere. Come evening, children were called by name, one by one, and were treated to a nice, warm homecooked meal served on a porcelain plate. After dinner, children co-slept in the warmth of mothers, recharging for another's day of free play. 

Children under age 6 were kept next to mom at home due to the risks of playing outside. In the Early Christian context, there existed venomous snakes and scorpions, with children not being able to appreciate the dangers outside. Even today, there exist threats outside the context of the family home, namely busy streets and oncoming traffic. Birth nudity was intended then (and now) as a means of sheltering children from the harsh and dangerous world outside.

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!