Command Tab Glitchy - Parallels being a bully

When I am running Parallels and I command-tab to get back to the mac side, parallels won't release control. If I use my mouse to go back to the mac side, then I can command tab to any application, including Parallels. I can Control-tab to various windows applications easily. But somehow, if I want to toggle back to the Mac, it generally evades me although sometimes it works.

I think it has something to do with the fact that hitting the command key activates the start menu (and a second keypress of the command key hides the start menu.

I see the mac app flash in my upper edge of the screen, but it gets taken back by windows. For instance, if I am working in Windows but I can see Safari as the front most app on the mac side, then when I command-tabbed to Mail, Mail is revealed in front of Safari but Parallels is still the active application.

I am using coherence, windows xp, parallels 4, snow leopard.

 

ForrestC had an idea that was helpful - hitting control/option releases the mouse. I still don't know why this problem started or whether it is related to snow leopard. I would like to see a solution that is more graceful.

 

SOLUTION FOUND to Command Tab Glitchy

I've been dealing with the same option. Unchecking the default "Cmd" mapping to "Windows" failed. So instead, I created a new mapping, "Shift+Cmd" to "Windows" (for those relatively rare times I want the Windows key to actually work), and then I mapped "Cmd" to "Alt". No more selfish Parallels retaining focus, Cmd+Tab works fine in the Mac.