Society's fears and suspicions collect around the stereotypes in play: a disloyal husband, overprotective parents.

To hear him tell it, he narrowly escaped the smothering embrace of overprotective parents and simply could not bear to return.

They probably thought I was a crazy overprotective parent.

Thank goodness we had no hand-wringing, overprotective parents worrying that we would all become gambling addicts.

Much better that he be given advice by fellow sufferers or experts rather than by an understandably overprotective parent.

Growing up with overprotective and hypercritical parents has also been associated with social anxiety disorder.

Don't these overprotective parents have anything better to do?

We were the most overprotective parents I know.

He also notes, as do other researchers, that the survivors, perhaps understandably, tend to be overprotective parents.

I know I may come across as an overprotective parent, or simply a parent who cannot "let go", but my fears surely aren't completely unfounded?