Thank-you. This speaks a lot to my way of thinking about it. MJ never had a real childhood. He dreamed of it, craved it, needed it -but never got it. Later, he had this idea he could create a fantasy world for other kids who he thought were being denied normalcy so they wouldn't go through what he did, and also I suspect he saw it as a way to experience it vicariously.
Many of the people who choose to be foster parents do so for the same reasons. They have this deep desire to provide for someone else's children whatever they didn't have for themselves. A normal life -toys, clothes, school, etc.
But, some of them -and I include MJ in this group- missed out on so much they don't really know what they missed. They read books, and hear stories and watch television 'til they form all kinds of fantastical opinions.
They form an image in their minds of the pattern on the cloth, but without any real knowledge or understanding of the fibers. They allow or do inappropriate things because they do not have the whole picture.
The fabric they create is lovely on the surface, but the weave is crooked -and in some cases the warp is showing all over the place.
I don't think Jackson intended any wrongdoing at all. I think he had a fantasy image that no one dared tell him wasn't really a good idea, and I think he was genuinely shocked that anyone, anywhere found fault with his efforts.
I also think he was so insulated for so much of his life he really didn't understand the sharks in the water, and how vulnerable he was making himself to their predations by trying to share his fortunes and help those he thought he could do so many good things for.