she wouldn't be if people like you were rational

First off, you don't know a god-damned thing about me. Second, its Florida, no rational person would live in America's wang. Thirdly I don't think prosecuting someone for making a parental judgement call is in any way okay. This ignorant country is so fixated on punitive measures that it creates more problems than it solves. If a parent screws up, educate them, don't jail them. (Unless there is actual abuse or neglect, like CSA or starvation). Fourthish… I forgot, but it was salient and concise

To your broader point tho. It's not so much learned helplessness, it's knowledge gained over time. Yes we took care of ourselves as teens and preteens. Yes us latch key kids mostly were fine, and taking care of our siblings wasn't a big dangerous thing, just annoying. (For the record, I was latch-key from the age of 12) We also know a whole hell of a lot more about when and how a brain matures, including how a developing frontal lobe isn't capable of extrapolating the full consequences of an action the way a mature adult can. Saying we were fine so nothing should change is like saying cars were fine without airbags so we shouldn't have them now. I think most kids would be fine, but some won't. Are those kids being harmed ok, as long as the majority is fine?

Attitudes like yours destroy brain cells and the next generation of critical thinking. Doesn't that broad sweeping statement sound silly? It's not all or nothing. I came to the conclusion that 14 is too immature to care for children for multiple days without a safety net. That's it. Everything else is a statement on societal issues, not how kids have to be hovered over to protect them.