Hello, Jessica
I get your idea. I am protective, too - in the sense that I need to make sure my daughter is playing in a safe environment. Other than that, she's free to explore. Often enough we do it together.
"No shame in being worried when your kid is legit under the weather..." - very true. I completely agree.
"Aurea mediocritas" - the middle path is golden. In other words, as a parent, I do my best to stay away from those extremes you talked about.