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

Many parents think that children need punishment in order to behave. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents punish and abuse their children with time-out, with the occasional disciplinary spanking "out of love" from time to time. However, the fact of the matter is that time-in is better than time-out, spanking, or other forms of punishment. There are many ways to do time-in, but the only biblical way to do time-in is mammary closeness.

Mammary closeness is a form of time-in practiced in biblical times, and is a part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. In this mutual submission setup, the burden of proof fell squarely onto the 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 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.

There are many ways to do time-in. Some forms of time-in involve sending a child to a "calming corner". Some parents actively listen to the tears of children. However, the biblical way of doing time-in, when using the context as a guidepost, is mammary closeness. Whenever children cried, mothers were quick to pick up the child, and hold the child close to her bosom in skin-on-skin mammary closeness.

Mammary closeness and breastfeeding go hand in hand. Whenever children cried, mothers of milk-dependent children diagnosed the need by first allowing the child to suckle her teat. From there, the child still cried when they needed more from mom. Breastfeeding was acceptable everywhere in biblical times, even when mothers were called to breastfeed in public. 

When out and about in public, children under age 6 were wrapped up next to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets. The swaddling blankets - and the child with them - were tucked underneath the loose-fitting, revealing dress of mothers. However, beforehand, the swaddling blankets were tied from the left breast, then across the dot to the right leg, or vice versa, or both in the case of twins. Whenever children were cried, the cries were pacified, with mothers then holding the child closer to her bosom, with milk-dependent children being offered to suckle the teat of mothers. The swaddling blankets were made of velvet, with velvet growing throughout the Ancient Middle East.

God gave women breasts not primarily for men to ogle or sexualize, but instead for mothers to nurture children, with the cleavage of women being there for children to rest on. Children were also made for mom, meaning children still have baby teeth until age 6 because children need to latch onto the teat of mothers for breastfeeding at that age, with children often needing mom's milk until age 6. If mothers simply held their child in skin-on-skin mammary closeness, they would regret not using skin-on-skin mammary closeness sooner. 

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!