“It puts me in a difficult position to defend my actions, publicly commenting on a teenage girl with learning difficulties.”

Mr Langley said a prison sentence had never been on the cards, and he had offered Ms Henderson a plea deal which would have seen her complete a 20-hour parenting course.

Ms Henderson told The Independent that her daughter is a responsible, mature teenager, perfectly capable of looking after the children.

Nearly two years on, she said the threat of prosecution has been a massive financial and emotional drain.

“As a mom you really pride yourself in making your children healthy and happy. When something does like this happens you suddenly feel so small.

“I’m not neglecting or failing or hurting my children. Why would you put this out there that I’m a terrible mother? I’ve given every ounce of my soul to them. It’s world-crumbling.”

Under Georgia state law, children can babysit from the age of 13.

Ms Henderson’s lawyer, David DeLugas, who is the founder of advocacy group Parents USA, told The Independent the charges were a gross overreach of police powers.

Mr DeLugas says he often sees similar cases often in his advocacy work, and believes that law enforcement is unnecessarily seeking to insert itself into how parents raise their children.

“That whole irrational fear, as if that’s a clear and present danger in our lives, all the time. It’s fearmongering.

“Just because they have concerns, doesn’t mean they need to rally the troops, send out the national guard, just because somebody doesn’t agree with you.”

Mr DeLugas has filed a motion to dismiss the case in July, which is still pending.

Ms Henderson has been able to return to work part-time while the children are in school, but is afraid of further charges.

“It’s like living in constant fear. Everything you’re doing is being watched and critiqued and even if you’re doing the right thing, it’s still the wrong thing.

“I love being with my children but you got to have a paycheque you know.”

Two fundraising pages have been set up to assist Ms Henderson. One to pay for her legal fees and advocacy work has received nearly $30,000.

Another GoFundme page that goes direct to Ms Henderson to assist with day-to-day costs has received just over $3,000 by Thursday.

“I just want other moms and dads to know that this is not OK,” she said.