I Messed Up In Life, Who Is to Blame?

I think you are right and that parents who are insanely over-protective of their children wind up with children who don't know how to deal with real life and function in the real world. They are either paranoid and neurotic or they go the other way and go absolutely nuts when they're finally allowed some freedom and wind up doing drugs and sleeping around. I grew up with a friend whose parents were like that and he is now a full time cocaine dealer and has been in and out of trouble with the law since he moved away from his domineering parents. I think parents need to allow their children to experience life in gradually increasing levels of observation -- ie, don't send your six-year-old out into the streets alone, but when they're older, give them more and more freedom, let them hang out with friends at their houses, go to the mall or the movies in groups, that kind of thing, and when they turn 16 and have a license, they should be allowed to do things on their own, within the bounds of reason (say, 9pm curfew on weekdays, 11pm on weekends, etc.), and ALWAYS be accepting and willing to listen and answer ALL questions without making a big deal out of it. You want your kids to know that they can trust you with their problems.