Danish baby wizards

My life has been somewhat of a time warp the last week. Since I've been sick I can count the number of times I've left the apartment (three) and streets I've walked on (two). So I've had time to crawl through my roommate's dvd collection and listen to the entire 20 hour Jim Dale-narrated Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.... and well into the Half-Blood Prince. This thorough look through HP has afforded a fresh perspective on Danish society, because why not!

Here's what I've got: "balance bikes" are for Danish society what toy broomsticks are to Harry Potter society. Both literal and metaphorical training wheels for life.

Toy broomsticks, which allow a young witch or wizard to fly very slowly only about two feet off the ground, were first mentioned in a letter written by Lily Potter to Sirius Black thanking him for the toy broomstick that he sent to Harry for his first birthday. In book four Ron and Harry pass two little witches playing on two broomsticks while walking about the campgrounds at the Quidditch World Cup.... a passing ministry approaches the scene, muttering to themselves, "In broad daylight! Parents having a lie-in I suppose...". The little Danish balance-bikes are so utterly normal here and so utterly interesting to me. Essentially rather than training wheels or pedals the kids push themselves along. So they're less likely to fall and more likely to practice their balance than on, say, a tricycle. 

I relish watching little kids scurry along after their parents on their "balance bikes" because it is so utterly clear that they are practicing their version of how it is normal to live life.... with a bike. Just like the little wizard babies! We all have a normal, whether or not we admit.

THEN I get to thinking (no I'm not dropping the metaphor yet) - I'm a Muggle born to Danish society. And there's nothing wrong with that! I will never be a pure-blood, but that shouldn't exclude me or mark me as lesser.... and if we want to bring back in the baby broomstick. I did not ride around on baby balance bikes as a wee kiddo.... but I'm fine biking. Some of my Danish friends might beg to differ, but I'm learning! Just like Hermione and Harry didn't grow up playing with toy broomsticks (apart from the one Sirius gave him until he was one) - but there's nothing less magical about them. So of course then I have to start thinking about integration, immigration, assimilation.... what model is Harry Potter really bringing forth? Seems pretty assimilationist actually - it's not like Hermione gets to bring in her life from the Muggle world more than the occasional mention of floss and dentistry since her parents are dentists. They only appear rarely in the series. But then again one of the most marvelous things about the Harry Potter series is the emphasis it places on giving everyone a fair chance, love, equality, kindness, not caring where someone is from but what they're all about and where's they're headed.

Conclusion: Harry Potter is always relevant.