There's a lot of overlap in the so called generations. We weren't latch key, but we didn't latch the door. We were left on our own. A lot. My mother didn't have a "job", but she grew and preserved every drop of food we ate. She made all our clothes except for the male blue jeans and coveralls. She did all of the finish work in our new house while doing the above. If needed she drove tractors, combines, herded cows and successfully shot her one deer a year to feed us AND helped butcher it and canned and dried it.

One learns a bit of independence when one participates in the activities needed for survival.