Thanksgiving is approaching: How to teach your child gratitude (without punishment or force)

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. Most people stuff themselves with turkey, and miss the meaning of the holiday. Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks to everything you have. Gratitude is a good lesson to teach children, but most American parents get wrong how, in fact, gratitude should be imparted. Gratitude is to be taught in a specific way, namely through example and encouragement, not punishment or force.

Gratitude is taught using the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. See Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. Parents are the enemy of children, just as mankind is the enemy of God, and are to submit as such. This surrender to parents came with strings attached on the part of parents, with children issuing righteous demands to parents, usually when parents weren't pulling their weight around the family home.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) 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 understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including, but not limited to, any punishments, reprimands, or 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. 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 timed 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 in the church, but he sure loved children, and even took in a few orphaned children in his time. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers used the scourge of cords on their children as punishment, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were usually hated for being "too soft" on their children.

The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to here, in this context, modeling and encouraging Christian discipline in children. The Christian standard of discipline is deserving of absolutely nothing, therefore grateful for absolutely everything, coming from a sinful nature, leading to a chastened up example for children to follow. Christian parents in the Early Church centered their entitlement in view of their children, with children following in the footsteps. Children, in biblical times, were caught being good, as opposed to being caught being bad. Whenever a child was caught emulating the disciplined example of parents were given lavish praise and encouragement to "keep headed down the straight path". Boys were given manly praise by fathers when caught being good, whereas girls were given snuggles and physical affection by fathers when caught being good. Sometimes, children needed direct instruction from parents. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers to the advice and counsel of parents, meaning all parents can do is give advice when needed, or else counsel their children when upset. Otherwise, children had divine authority over their parents, with parents submitting to children as they would to God.

Gratitude is the core of the message of thanksgiving. Children, therefore, should be taught how to be grateful for everything. This requires a thankful example imparted by parents, with parents first taking up the attitude that they are deserving of absolutely nothing due to having a sinful nature. Then, once accepting reality, you will likely look around, and be grateful for whatever you have. Children will notice you taking up that attitude, and when they say "thank you", praise them on saying "thank you", perhaps by saying "good use of manners there" or "good work being polite". Good manners in children starts with grateful children. True gratitude isn't an effusive moment that you have now and then when receiving something, but a calm demeanor that you take everywhere, centered in the here and now. And then, children copy that centered mindset, and when children are caught on their own using their manners, they can be praised for such.

What motivates children to follow the example of fathers. Children first need a nurturing mother, and to have a secure attachment with their mother, which translates to how they will relate to their father. For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning that wherever the child went, so did the child. The Early Christians practiced birth nudity, where mother and child were quartered in the nude next to each other in the family home. Whenever children cried or were upset, mothers cooed at the child before picking them up, then holding them next to her bosom in skin-on-skin mammary closeness. When mothers were out and about, children were swaddled next to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets, with crying children being held closer to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets. Children were breastfed - in most cases - until age 3, but sometimes not until age 6 or even older. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers, and continued to co-sleep next to mothers until the onset of puberty, which was when children wanted a place to sleep of their own.

Thanksgiving is not a secular holiday, but a Judeo-Christian holiday meant for us Christians in this country to give thanks to whatever we have. Young children, however, are too self-centered to give thanks like an adult believer can. However, children are capable of learning how to show gratitude by being praised for the little things that count, such as using proper manners, and grateful poses such as having hands tied behind their back. Usually, in late childhood, children develop the same frame of mind as their parents. Punishment creates distance from a parent's example, and thus children don't internalize as much. 

Help children know the route to gratitude by showing gratitude whenever possible when children are watching - and they are watching your every behavior, inch by inch. Always say "please" and "thank you" around your child, and when they copy your example in that regard, always show your appreciation for their good manners. Whenever a child shows gratitude, they will have good manners, as good manners is a sign of gratitude. Whenever you say "please" or "thank you", you are being thankful.

Children can learn gratitude almost entirely on their own. All they need is an example that gives thanks for everything, and then they will absorb the grateful example of parents at their own pace. Children will not get the grateful example of parents at their own pace, but they will develop the grateful example of parents entirely as they go along. When they show signs of gratitude, praise and encourage them for their gratitude and thanksgiving.

Children are not going to get the message of thanksgiving if they are punished. Child punishment alienates children from learning from the example of parents. Children instead need a secure attachment that imparts a grateful example. Children, from there, can internalize everything about gratitude down to the depravity-based self-talk. Children learn to talk to themselves the same way you talk to yourself.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to wrath through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them forever be cast 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!

Righteous co-sleeping: Why children need nighttime closeness with mothers

Many parents think that co-sleeping is the irresponsible choice as a parent. The most common excuse for not co-sleeping is that co-sleeping might make the child "sleep dependent". The big fear about co-sleeping is that children will become dependent on the closeness of mothers to fall asleep. The fact of the matter is that co-sleeping usually ends come puberty, and until then, co-sleeping is a way to prevent child sexual abuse from fathers.

Co-sleeping is the deepest expression of the doctrine of mutual submission, where children surrender to the loving arms of mothers. 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. Parents are the enemy of children, just as mankind is the enemy of God, and are to submit as such. Child surrender to parents usually came with strings attached on the part of parents, with children issuing righteous demands to parents, usually when parents weren't pulling their weight.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to damages or offenses, namely to 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 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. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children one last time. 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 children 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 or punishing children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his writings. Maybe Paul didn't get along with the women in the church, but he sure loved children, and took in a few orphaned children. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers used the scourge of cords to punish their children, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were hated largely for being "too soft" on their children.

It is common knowledge that children aged 2-6 often refuse to go to bed at their set bedtime. This is a common reason for punishing the child and/or making them "cry it out". Most parents do not realize that children under age 6 are too young to sleep on their own. Most children, up until age 6, have a primal fear of being devoured by predators. In biblical times, venomous snakes and scorpions could have preyed on the children. Today, there are also predators, usually a father in the home, and usually, he strikes when the child is isolated in a bed or crib. That is where co-sleeping comes in. The mother is right there, and so the children are safe. Most co-sleeping in biblical times was skin-on-skin in terms of application, and that was intended largely to convict the man of the house of his parent attraction towards the children.

Children co-slept next to their mothers in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy. Contrary to popular belief, children did not continue co-sleeping into the teen years. In most cases, children co-slept next to mothers until the onset of puberty, which was when children wanted their own place to sleep. Until then, children snuggled next to mothers in nighttime closeness.

A secure attachment is necessary to foster cooperation and respect for children. The core of this mother-child bonding is co-sleeping. Children slept next to mothers every single night until the child reached the onset of puberty. This co-sleeping was always done in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy, with the man of the house being convicted of his parent attraction to his child. This co-sleeping is what forged a close bond between mother and child. 

Children who co-slept next to mothers were often milk-dependent, meaning mothers breastfed their restless child to sleep every night. Most children were weaned by age 3, when they pushed away the nipple. However, sometimes, children waited until age 6 or older to push away the nipple. Most breastfeeding was done with the child resting on the bosom of the mother, with the mother resting on her back half-awake, and continued to meet the breastfeeding needs of their child until the child pushed away the nipple, whenever that was. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them forever be cast 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!

Righteous reassurance: Why to reassure a crying child (instead of ignoring or punishing them)

Many parents, if not most all parents, have to deal with it from time to time. A child crying and carrying on. Most American parents, however, think it is acceptable to punish or else ignore children. However, children need a certain special treatment when crying or upset, and we call this righteous reassurance. The biblical way to deal with a crying or tantrumming child is through giving children reassurance, not ignoring or punishing their upset.

Righteous reassurance is part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission, where children rest in the loving arms of mothers, with mothers providing for children's needs from beneath yet from above. 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. Parents are the enemy of children, just as mankind is the enemy of God, and are to submit as such. This surrender to parents came with strings attached on the part of parents, with children issuing righteous demands from their restful place, with this usually happening when parents weren't pulling their weight.

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 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. 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 for bringing 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 took in a few orphaned children in his time.

Righteous reassurance, as an acronym, points to the right way to reassure a child. Most gentle parenting advice says to kneel down before the child. However, this was not what was done in biblical times. Mothers cooed when children cried, and then picked up the child, holding them to their bosom in skin-on-skin mammary closeness. The context of this reassurance was a state of birth nudity in the case of the mother and child, with mother and child in the nude next to each other, and mothers treating all children under age 6 as babies. The cooing was intended as a primal way to quickly validate and reassure a child's upset, with children's cries quieting down in the face of being cooed at. 

Mothers, when out and about, reassured children by keeping them swaddled next to their bosom in swaddling blankets. When children cried while swaddled, they cried a silent cry, and then mothers usually held the child closer to her bosom in swaddling blankets. Swaddling blankets were tucked underneath the mother's dress that resembled an apron. The swaddling blankets were tied to the left breast, then across the dot to the right leg, or vice versa, or both in the case of twins.

Mammary closeness is the contextual biblical way to reassure a child righteously. Some children were milk-dependent, in which case they were breastfed to sleep when they cried. Most children were weaned by age 3, when they pushed away the nipple. However, some children were breastfed until age 6, or even older in rare cases. 

Older children sometimes cried as well. However, most children that age whined, and they got the same response from a parent. The upset child was picked up and held by mothers in a cradling position, close to their bosom in mammary closeness. Children who are crying or whining are lightweight in most all cases, so the idea is to pick them up whenever they are crying or whining. When the crying or whining happened at home, children of all ages co-snuggled next to their mother in the nude, after the mother cooed at the child, with any breastfeeding happening then. When the crying or whining happened in public, the mother simply cooed and picked up the child. Children went naked wherever they went, and so there was easy skin-on-skin comfort and sustenance with mothers.

The bosom of mothers is there for a reason, and that main reason isn't for men to sexualize women. The main reason why woman was designed that way by God is for the mother to nurture children. Most children find even hugging mothers to be nice and warm for this reason. This means that the bosom of mothers is intended to reassure and nurture children, and possibly give children nourishment. Maybe men will find the bosom of women to be attractive, but that is not the primary reason for the bosom of mothers being designed the way it is.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them forever be cast 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!

Christian attachment parenting: Why true Christian parenting is attachment parenting

Many parents in America think that punishment is the core of American parenting. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Today, the normative parenting is time-out, with an occasional disciplinary spanking "out of love". Most parents use the Bible as an excuse for punishing or being controlling with their children. However, the Bible commands no such thing. Christian attachment parenting is attachment parenting based off of the Early Christian context.

Christian attachment parenting is summed up by the doctrine of mutual submission. See Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. Parents are the enemy of children, just as mankind is the enemy God, and are to submit as such. This surrender to parents came with strings attached on the part of the parent, with the child issuing righteous demands to parents, usually when parents weren't pulling their weight in the family home.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) 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 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. 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 Christians in the parish at Ephesus 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 sure may have not gotten along with the women of the church, but he sure loved children, and took in a few orphaned children. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers used the scourge of cords to punish their children, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were hated largely because they were "too soft" on their children.

The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to here, in this context, modeling and encouraging Christian discipline in children. The Christian standard of discipline in deserving of absolutely nothing, therefore grateful for absolutely everything, coming from a sinful nature, leading up to a chastened up example for children to follow. Christian parents in the Early Church centered their entitlement in view of their children, and then their children followed in their footsteps. Children, in biblical times, were caught being good, instead of being caught being bad. Whenever a child was caught emulating the Christian example of parents, they were lavishly praised and encouraged to "keep headed down the straight path". Boys were given manly praise when fathers caught them being good, whereas girls were given snuggles and physical affection when fathers caught them being good. Sometimes, children needed direct instruction from their parents. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers to the advice and counsel of parents, meaning that parents could only give advice when needed, or else counsel their children when upset. Otherwise, children had divine authority over their parents, and had the authority to issue lawful orders, with parents having no such authority over their children.

Children need nurturing. Fathers nurture from afar, whereas mothers nurture up close. For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness with mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did the child. The Early Christians practiced birth nudity, where mother and child were quartered next to each other, in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy. Whenever children cried or were upset, mothers cooed at the child before picking them up, and then holding the child close to her bosom in skin-on-skin mammary closeness. Ordinary gentle parenting advice says to kneel down to the child. However, in biblical times, the child was picked up and held next to the bosom of mothers, perhaps being breastfed to sleep if milk-hungry. When out and about in public, mothers swaddled their children next to their children in swaddling blankets. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers in skin-on-skin format. Children co-slept next to mothers until the onset of puberty, which was when children wanted their own place to sleep.

Christian attachment parenting is a tradition in this country. Christian attachment parenting is attachment parenting based off of the Early Christian context. What stands out among the other attachment parenting contexts is the necessity of discipline in the family home. When children were around age 6, a Bible was left out for the child to hopefully read and explore. When children were caught reading a Bible, they were given lavish praise and encouragement. From there, religion was a constant discussion between fathers and children, with children being eager to learn, and fathers giving pointers about the context.

Christian attachment parenting predates Christianity by thousands of years, and was used in the Old Testament as well. Our society gleans from the Bible and its context for wisdom as to how society should be run, including how children should be raised. Thus, since the Bible and its context is attachment parenting in nature, so should our parenting today in this country.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to wrath through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them forever be cast 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!

Righteous pampering: Why God wants children to be pampered

Many parents think that pampering children is an irresponsible choice as a parent. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents think that pampering children is not the best thing to do. However, children need pampering, and the good Lord has noted that fact.

Children were pampered in biblical times. Children were pampered in the context of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission, where children surrender to the loving arms of mothers for her tender loving care. 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. Parents are the enemy of children, just as mankind is the enemy of God, and are to submit as such. This surrender to parents came with strings attached on the part of parents, with children being able to issue righteous demands to parents, usually when parents weren't pulling their own weight.

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 understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including, but not limited to, any punishments, reprimands, or 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. 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 have not have gotten along with the women, but he sure loved children, and took in a few orphaned children in his time. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers did use the scourge of cords to punish their children, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were hated largely for being "too soft" on their children.

Righteous pampering is when children are nurtured in a certain way, with this way being spelled out in the context. For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness with mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did the child. The Early Christians practiced birth nudity, where mother and child are quartered in the nude next to each other, in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy. Whenever a child cried, mothers immediately swooped in and comforted the child by holding the child to her bosom in mammary closeness, after cooing at the child as a primal way of validating children's upset. Most gentle parenting advice says to kneel before the child. However, children in biblical times were held when they cried, and held close to the mother's bosom. When mothers were out and about, children were swaddled next to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers, in skin-on-skin comfort and sustenance. This co-sleeping lasted until the onset of puberty in children, which is when children wanted their own place to sleep.

Once children left the home, and were baptized into the church, they bowed down to their parents, surrendering to their parents. This surrender to parents was thanksgiving for all of the fond memories of being pampered by parents. Care-dependent adults were not required to bow down to their parents. However, children that moved out of the house, and were baptized into the church, had to obey their parents. If children, however, perceived abuse from their parents, they could easily shun their parents, and possibly take their parents before the council to be excommunicated. However, most children gave thanks to their parents, by surrendering as thanksgiving for being pampered as children.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke your children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them forever be cast 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!

Discipline and limit setting in Christian homes: How to set limits with children (without punishment or force)

Many parents want their children to learn discipline. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents, however, want to discipline their children though punishment or force. This form of parenting is common in the United States. The fact of the matter is that the Bible prescribes that children get discipline, but without provocations to wrath such as punishment, reprimands, or other controlling demeanor.

Child discipline is part of the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. See Ephesians 6:1-4  KJV: 

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. Parents are the enemy of children, just as mankind is the enemy of God, and are to submit as such. Child surrender to parents came with strings attached on the part of parents, meaning children could issue lawfully binding demands towards children, usually when parents weren't pulling their weight in the family home.

The Greek root word translated "provoke,..to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) 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 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 a child. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children one last time. Parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" here referring to 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 in the parish at Ephesus who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing their 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 women, but he surely loved children, and even took in a few orphaned children. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers used the scourge of cords to punish their children, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were hated largely for being "too soft" on their children.

The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to here, in this context, modeling and encouraging Christian discipline in children. The Christian standard of discipline is deserving of absolutely nothing, therefore grateful for absolutely everything, coming from a sinful nature, leading to a chastened up example for children to follow. Christian parents in the Early Church centered their entitlement in view of their children, with children following in the footsteps of their parents. Children, in biblical times, were caught being good, as opposed to being caught being bad. Whenever a child was caught emulating the disciplined example of parents, they were given lavish praise and encouragement to "keep headed down the straight path". Boys were given manly praise when caught by their father being good, whereas girls were given snuggles and physical affection when caught by their father being good. Sometimes, children needed direct instruction. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers to the advice and counsel of parents, meaning parents could only offer advice when needed, or else counsel children when upset. Otherwise, children had divine authority over parents, ordering parents around, with parents having no authority to give orders of their own.

Discipline is a need for every child. However, children do not need to be punished, reprimanded. or treated in a controlling demeanor in order to learn discipline. Children grow up almost entirely on their own, but guided by the disciplined example of their parents. The disciplined example of parents imparts the chastening of the Lord, meaning that mankind is deserving of absolutely nothing, therefore should be grateful for everything. Children are watching your every move, including how well you are convicted of the chastening of the Lord. When children emulate your disciplined example, be sure to praise and encourage them. Children will then show their good behavior in increments, in which case each increment should be praised and encouraged.

How do parents motivate children to follow their example? Children were motivated in biblical times to heed the example of parents by a secure attachment. For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did the child. The Early Christians practiced birth nudity, meaning mothers and children were next to each other, in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy. Whenever a child cried, mothers were there to reassure their children, after cooing at them in order to validate the child's upset. From there, mothers diagnosed the need in children, and then provided from beneath yet from above. A common need for young children was breastmilk, in which case mothers breastfed their children to sleep. Mothers, when out and about in public, swaddled their children next to their bosom in swaddling blankets. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers, in skin-on-skin format. Children co-slept next to mothers in skin-on-skin format until the onset of puberty, when children wanted their own place to sleep.

The abovementioned closeness with mothers readied children to learn the facts of life from fathers. It was the role of fathers to provide children with a religious education. Fathers started out by way of leaving out a Bible for the child to discover and read. When children were caught reading the Bible, they were praised with statements such as "that book is good for you". From there, children and fathers had ongoing discussion about the facts of life, with children being eager to learn, and with fathers giving pointers on the context.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to wrath through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them forever be cast 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!

Original sin: How to bring up a child in the doctrine of original sin

The doctrine of original sin is possibly the most misunderstood and misused of Christian teachings. Yet, original sin is the backbone of Christianity. Without original sin, there is no reason for a Christ. Yet, Christ died and Rose for our sins. The key to imparting the doctrine of original sin in children is to take care of your own sins, and then children will naturally follow your undeserving attitude. Original sin is something your child should discover on their own, and accept while in the comfort of parents. 

The teaching of original sin boils down to one word. The Greek root word denoting entitlement is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and an is defined as, officially speaking, entitled existence. All of us as adults are deserving of absolutely nothing due to our entitled existence. It is the role of mankind to atone for our entitled existence. I myself have to atone, as I am a depraved and decadent pedophilic adult who is deserving of absolutely nothing. Every parent has a struggle in relation to children, in terms of entitlement, and working on your entitled existence helps children to work on theirs.

The doctrine of original sin is ultimately taught using the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. See Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. Parents are the enemy of children, just as mankind is the enemy of God, and are to submit as such. This surrender to parents came with strings attached on the part of parents, with children issuing righteous demands from their restful place, usually when parents were not pulling their weight in the family home.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) 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 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. 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 at the parish at Ephesus who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing their children. 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, but he sure loved children, and took in a few orphaned children. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers used the scourge of cords to punish their children, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were hated largely for being "too soft" on their children.

The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to here, in this context, modeling and encouraging Christian discipline to children. The Christian standard for discipline is deserving of absolutely nothing, therefore grateful for absolutely everything, coming from a sinful nature, leading to a chastened up example for children to follow. Christian parents in the Early Church centered their entitlement in view of their children, with children following in their parents' footsteps. Children, in biblical times, were caught being good, as opposed to being caught being bad. Whenever children emulated the disciplined example of their parents, they were given lavish praise and encouragement to "keep headed down the straight path". Boys who were caught being good by their father received manly praise, whereas girls who were caught being good by their fathers received snuggles and physical affection. Sometimes, children needed direct instruction from parents. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers to the advice and counsel of parents, meaning that parents could only give advice when needed, or else counsel children when they were crying or upset. Otherwise, parents were under the divine authority of children, with children issuing lawfully binding demands on parents, and parents obeying all orders except those which were unlawful or unworkable. All parents had in their toolbox was pleading with their children.

Children, like us all, are born in sin. This is not up for debate. However, children are capable of self-improvement entirely on their own. All children need is a disciplined example to emulate. The idea is to accept that you are a depraved and decadent sinner who is deserving of absolutely nothing. Accepting this reality causes you to look around you, and causes you to become grateful for everything around you. Children are watching your every move, and when you see them showing discipline and/or self-control, be sure to praise and encourage children for showing the chastening of the Lord. Children absorb the example of parents in increments, with each increment being worthy of praise and encouragement 

What ultimately motivates children to follow the example of parents? A secure attachment is necessary for children to want to grow up to be like their parents. For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness with mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did the child. The Early Christians practiced birth nudity, where mother and child were in the nude next to each other, in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy. Whenever a child cried, mothers cooed at the child before picking up the child, then holding the child close to her bosom of mothers. Some children were milk-dependent, in which case mothers breastfed the crying child to sleep. When out and about, mothers swaddled their young child - under age 6 - in swaddling blankets. Come nightfall, children co-slept next to mothers in skin-on-skin comfort and sustenance. The co-sleeping did not end until the child reached the onset of puberty, when they wanted a place of their own to sleep.

The abovementioned closeness with mothers prepared children for religious education coming from their fathers. Fathers introduced children to the Bible by way of leaving a Bible out, for children to discover and read. When children were caught reading the Bible, they were given praise in the form of statements such as "that book is good for you". From there, the facts of life were an ongoing discussion in a Christian household, with children being eager to learn, and fathers giving pointers on the context. That, and a good example in view of children, leads to discipline in children. 

There is no need to tell your child that they are a sinner. Children will discover the teaching of original sin on their own. Children have their own pace of religious development, with age 6 being when children are ready to internalize religion on their own. When children figure out the doctrine of original sin, they will come to you about it, and expect comfort. The idea is to comfort your child, and stand with them until they accept the facts of life on their own accord.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them forever be cast 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!