it is my understanding we no longer have to parent the armature to the model during riggiing and skinning. Why then does my armature stay put when I select and move the model in object mode?
Because the Armature is a Mesh Modifier. You would be able to do this if they were parented anyway as your Mesh would be a Child. If you want to move Mesh and Armature you need to Grab the Root Bone in Pose mode.
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thanks for clearing that up for me