When Your Childhood ia a Worldwide Phenomenon
I keep thinking about what it would do to a six-year-old to suddenly be the most famous child in the English-speaking world. Christopher Robin didn't just have his name plastered on a book, he had his actual toys, his actual bedroom habits, his actual relationship with his father turned into entertainment for millions. The bear was just a stuffed toy, but the boy was flesh and blood, and that line got blurry fast.
Milne probably thought he was writing a loving tribute to his son, and maybe he was. But the kid had to live with the consequence of being a permanent public figure before he could even read the book that made him one. There's a reason Christopher Robin later wrote about resenting the fame. A childhood should belong to the kid, not to the market.
I'd want to know how the family handled it behind closed doors. Did they ever regret it? The book is charming, but the cost of that charm was paid by a small boy who didn't sign up for any of it.