I remember we had some friends with kids and they were so over protective of the children that they soon became basically recluses.
That doesn't happen as much here, because there is less social fear of bad things happening. Kids walk to school alone (or with friends) from the age of six or seven regularly and are trusted for the most part to act responsibly. Though, they are also doing less chores now and the like too.
I think that the "protected" children do end up with far more issues than non-protection would have given them. Sure, bad things happen, but being unprepared for them as an adult means they are likely to happen and have devastating consequences.
Yeah, I totally agree with that. It's hard because you can't say it is never going to happen to your kid, but the odds aren't worth the damage it ends up inflicting.
Too often the intention to do good, isn't backed by the thought of what actually is required to do good.