Colleen Holt was all alone at Earth for like, three years? Thinking her husband and son had been killed, and likely blaming herself for her daughter running away to find out the truth and, in her POV, maybe getting herself killed too?
I'm surprised she didn't ground Pidge MORE, many parents would.
OTOH, I've seen some people who love using Pidge as their self-insert for all their issues with eduction, non-family authority figures, developmental troubles, etc. So even when they couldn't make her trans, they still make her a shell of the chara she is.
(Though Keith still gets it far worse. If I see Sheith fan inbeciles make him trans and/or the gay version of a Nice Guy (tm) one. more. time.....)