Posted by Jonathan Labaree on November 14, 2002 at 14:20:37 from 207.5.234.19 user JLabaree.
In Reply to: Re: Could this still happen?? posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on November 12, 2002 at 19:50:03:
It is an interesting question whether children today could experience adventures in a similar fashion to the Ss and As. I agree with Andrew that it is to some degree up to the parents, but it also depends on finding a place where it’s permissible. I was fortunate to grow up in such an area and have devoted my career to ensuring that such places remain. I was also fortunate to have understanding parents, who let us camp and sail a lot on our own, though hardly to the extent seen in the books. My folks, however, would probably have not been as relaxed as Andrew’s if we had shown up two days late from a sailing/camping adventure.
Another related question is whether this would have actually happened in AR’s day. This has likely already been discussed here, but it does seem remarkable that parents would let kids go off on their own for weeks at a time. I realize that in SA, SD, SW, etc., the kids are actually in regular contact with natives, that Mother comes to check out the campsites, and that they have responsible elders like John and Susan. But still! Others on this forum know far more than I about the people upon whom this series is based. I wonder if they can shed light on the degree to which AR exaggerated actual events to create his glorious world of unfettered childhood.