Yeah, count me among those who think it didn't really make it into the film proper. Until I'd read the story sessions it'd never even occurred to me that "child" in that context meant anything other than "impressionable" or "in a quasi-subordinate position."
This might be influenced a bit by how generally mature Karen Allen seems. I might feel differently if they'd cast someone with a different look or different qualities, but Karen Allen's just nine years younger than Harrison Ford in real life, and as an actress she has a confidence and worldliness that belie that initial intent. And casting aside, our introduction to the character, winning a drinking contest in a foreign country, seems designed to show us how savvy and tough she is, though you could argue that she was made this way prematurely by men like Indy. Either way, she doesn't seem like someone you can manipulate by the time we meet her, which makes it easier to disregard.
This might be influenced a bit by how generally mature Karen Allen seems. I might feel differently if they'd cast someone with a different look or different qualities, but Karen Allen's just nine years younger than Harrison Ford in real life, and as an actress she has a confidence and worldliness that belie that initial intent. And casting aside, our introduction to the character, winning a drinking contest in a foreign country, seems designed to show us how savvy and tough she is, though you could argue that she was made this way prematurely by men like Indy. Either way, she doesn't seem like someone you can manipulate by the time we meet her, which makes it easier to disregard.