Turks and Children
For the most part, Turks love children. As you walk down the street you hear mutterings of maşallah (literally God has willed it, said over things of beauty), and shop keepers and elderly neighbours hand them sweets. Newborns are protected from the evil eye by having a blue nazar bead pinned to them – as a believer no level of protest will stop strangers pinning this on a baby, so we accept graciously and take it off round the corner. Similarly, to protect from the evil eye people call babies ugly. The thought is that if a baby is beautiful and receives too much praise, they can be harmed by the jealous gaze of the evil eye.
Large families used not to be unusual in Türkiye, particularly in the East. No one would bat an eye at a family with 10 children. Yet the difficult economic situation means this is no longer the case, and even three children can seem like a lot these days. Walking along the street with three young children, the first comment people often make is ‘it must be difficult.’ My response is ‘they’re a blessing and it’s fun!’ This shows that despite people loving children, they see them more as a burden than a blessing.
Children in the neighbourhood
Local bakeries and corner shops get to know the children in the neighbourhood and see them grow up. Young children of 3 or 4 can be sent for errands to these local shops where they are known. Every neighbourhood has several small playgrounds – most are empty in the mornings before school but full and noisy late into the evening. Yet despite many parks and play areas, the paths are not made with pushchairs in mind! We often have to walk on the road to avoid trees along the path.
Children at school
Children start school at age 6, but have the option of pre-school from 4.5. Working mothers often have family living nearby to help with childcare, so grandparents who live locally are very involved in bringing them up. For those without family nearby, private daycares and nurseries are available, sometimes taking babies as young as six months. It is heartbreaking for mothers to leave their children all day so young, but it is very hard for a family to live off one income any more.
Believing children in Türkiye can face some difficulties. Churches are often small without many families, so they do not have many believing friends to grow with. Religious Studies at school is basically just Islam classes. If a family is registered as Christian on the national ID system, children can be excused from these lessons, but that brings the risk of being shunned by friends and struggling to fit in.
Believing Children
We pray for believing families to have strong relationships to support each other, and to be a witness to others that children are a blessing. May the current and next generation of children in the church grow strong in faith and bless Türkiye as they grow.