Rodgers creek safe to cross in early season?

your personal safety is one thing.
your 12 year olds safety is quite another.

No experience in other years will really tell you exactly what to expect this year. Just remember that you don't have to cross the creek, ever.

And more people die in the creeks and rivers in Yosemite than all other causes put together.

One possibility—you'll find a great fat tree across the creek within 10 feet of the trail and just waltz across. Another possibility–you'll find the creek roaring, and deep enough that you can't tell how deep it is. You'll turn around and go back the way you came.

We've done both.

And anything in between is possible.

I think most of the creeks along this route used to be bridged. Return Creek still is but it sounds like the bridges for Rodgers and Register Creeks have washed away.

It is easy to kill oneself in Yosemite with little difficulty.

If the rangers are preventing you from doing something that they believe is unsafe, they are likely doing you a favor.

If you havent read "Death in Yosemite", its a good way to learn from the mistakes of others.

I did this hike in a higher snow year MUCH earlier in the year. Late June in not exactly early season. I would call BS in my case. Your case with a 12 yo may be different. My standard tends to be…. If you have to ask the question then you probably know the answer.