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

Many parents think that co-sleeping is the irresponsible choice on the part of parents. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible, with the context being a guidepost, calls for parents to sleep next to their children. Co-sleeping also saves lives, by way of preventing child sexual abuse. 

Co-sleeping is the centerpiece of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission, with the burden of proof falling squarely onto the parents. 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 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 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 offensive touch or speech stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen 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 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 often refuse to go to bed on their own. This is a common excuse for punishing a child. Most parents punish a child who refuses to go to bed come bedtime. However, the fact of the matter is that younger children are not ready to sleep alone while isolated in their own bedroom. Children under age 6 have a primal fear of being isolated in a room alone, fearing being devoured by predators. Many parents would think that there are no predators in today's world. They would be wrong. Most child sexual abuse comes in the form of a bedtime ritual, with the abuser sneaking into a child's room come nightfall. In the Early Church, mothers prevented child sexual abuse by way of skin-on-skin co-sleeping. Maybe the father wanted the "icing on the cake", but the mother was right there to stop it, perhaps using herself as a human shield to the father's advances towards his daughter especially. 

The main excuse for not co-sleeping next to children comes from fearmongering on the part of pediatricians and mental health professionals serving children, with terms such as "sleep dependence". However, the fact of the matter is that all co-sleeping has an end to it. Children growing up in the Early Church usually wanted to sleep next to their mothers in skin-on-skin format until the onset of puberty, which is when children, in most cases, wanted to sleep in their own bed. Even if a child wanted to sleep next to mom past the onset of puberty, the family bed was made available to the child. I myself stopped sleeping next to my mother at age 16, which is when I insisted on sleeping on my own, in order to prove my independence - I first had mom sleep on the floor, and then from there, I started sleeping entirely on my own.

Righteous co-sleeping isn't just any co-sleeping, but instead is co-sleeping in proper form, meaning skin-on-skin co-sleeping. In biblical times, the family bed was completely nude in terms of setup. Fathers put their robe on a clothing hanger, and so did mothers with her dress that resembled an apron. Co-sleeping of this sort was the centerpiece of mutual submission between parent and child, with this skin-on-skin co-sleeping setup serving to gel a bond with a child.

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!