Righteous pampering: Why parents are to pamper and baby their children

Many parents think that children don't need to be pampered. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, in biblical times, children were pampered and babied. The fact of the matter is that the children need to be pampered and babied. God wants parents to pamper and baby their children. 

Righteous pampering is a 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 here to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. This highlighted 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 serve children selflessly as they would God, from beneath yet from above, expecting absolutely nothing in return. See also Matt. 22:35-40, 25:31-45.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and here 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 morals 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 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 in the Bible did not involve any old pampering. Instead, the Bible, when using the context as a guidepost, called for a certain specific form of pampering and babying children. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning wherever mom went, so did her child. For the first 2 years of childhood, children were constantly held by mothers, usually in her loving arms, but also on mom's back in a papoose bag when her hands were full. Between ages 2-6, children ranged next to mothers, following mom around from room to room, not letting mom out of their line of sight, morbidly fearing that mom would "go away and never come back". Whenever a child cried, mothers cooed before picking up the child, and from there, she 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. Whatever the child needed, they got it. When mothers and children under 6 were out in public, mom wrapped up their 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 that resembled an apron. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers in skin-on-skin format, with this co-sleeping setup 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 getting rays of skin-on-skin closeness even when simply picked up.

After turning age 6, children played freely outside, naked. Older children in biblical times engaged in wet and messy play, with children exploring the terrain, and with children travelling farther and farther from home. However, children needed to check in with mom first, and tell her where they were going. Come evening, children were called - one by one - and were each given a warm, homecooked meal on a porcelain plate, after mothers cleaned up the mess on their children with a handrag. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers, recharging for another day's play.

Children under age 6 were protected, in a sheltered way. Children under age 6 could not appreciate the dangers that existed outside, which included venomous snakes or scorpions. Today, the dangers that exist include busy traffic and would-be kidnappers. 

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!