It's back-to-school time for not just public school students in the U.S., but for many (if not most) homeschooled students as well. Today, I read a hundred or so back-to-school blog entries by homeschooling parents to get a sense of what it's like to "send" your kids back to homeschool. What I discovered: Back-to-school time is as anxiety-ridden for many homeschooling parents as it is for parents of public school students.

AngiesAngels is second-guessing her decision to homeschool this year:

I am confident in my ability to provide him with a solid, complete education. I am confident that he will excel in learning at home, but I don’t want him to be unhappy. We haven’t even started school yet, we are waiting on his books to arrive.

I guess I am looking for some advice from those that have or are currently homeschooling. Do/Did your kids ever object to school at home? Do you just put them right back into public/private school or is there a different approach?

Over at The Duncan Yo-Yos, Heather Duncan is working her way through the bureaucracy at the intersection of public school and homeschooling:

So, because I am having a little trouble getting Chantelle into school (I think it is mostly because it is a different school system in a different state), my hubby is a bit leary about me homeschooling Matt.

Liliflower is also putting up with a lot of bureaucratic BS at her local public schools. Her solution? Homeschool her gifted children:

We have decided to HOME SCHOOL long term.

Basically the only other options that I would consider worthwhile were private schools that in this city have an average tuition of $25-30K per child. There is just no way that I’m going to walk back into the job world after 8 years of being home with these kids and make the $75K/year to make it worth it. At this point if somehow we came to have unlimited income we would still homeschool AND travel the world while we were at it :-D. To be sincere, I am somewhat devastated at the reality of our experience with “public school”. On the other hand I think this whole new world that has opened up to us (HOMESCHOOLING) is just an absolutely AMAZING opportunity and I WILL rise to the challenge. I’ve been around it long enough (even long before this March) to recognize the unique and phenomenal opportunities it presents.

Principled Discovery asks some hard questions about homeschoolers and vaccinations. She explains that her daughter takes some medications that produce amazing results in treating the daughter's illness, and then explains:

While on these medications, Mouse could not receive vaccinations, nor could she be around unvaccinated children. Nor could she be around sick children because her weakened immune system might not be able to fight off an infection. At first, I was relieved she was not in school. After all, I wouldn’t have to worry about any and everything being passed around in her school. But then I started realizing just how big this “pocket” of unvaccinated children is among homeschoolers.

Taz's Mom worries about government regulations coming down the pike that might require certification of homeschool teachers.

With a Taste of Chocolate feels locked into the curricula she bought, even though she's unhappy with the sexism she sees in the Bob Jones curriculum:

Bob Jones has been even less of a good fit for us. I like the beginning readers—gorgeously illustrated and with actual meaningful and interesting stories. Today, I had all 32 books stacked on the table, and I jokingly told the 5-year-old that we were going to read them all. She looked at the stack and said, “That’s going to take all day, but okay!” Looking at the readers made me buy the whole phonics/ worktext package. There are so many possible activities until I find myself a bit overwhelmed, which isn’t their fault, of course. But the exercises are ridiculously simple in some cases (circle the building in which the family will enter, and there’s only one building on the page), and the subtle sexist messages are at times unbearable. Why can’t a son enjoy a cookbook? Why can’t a daughter get a kick out of building something with her mom or dad? Moreover, why can’t a girl like dolls and trains? So, here I sit with $150 in pretty curriculum for her (I normally spend about twice that much for all 3 children), and I’m disappointed.

Zayna compares the worries she had as a public school parent with those she feels as a homeschooling parent.

Cristina of Home Spun Juggling is dealing with the back-to-school blues--even if her kids are not.

IndianaJane addresses some of the anxieties parents and non-homeschoolers feel about homeschooled children and socialization.

Which back-to-school rituals make you anxious?

Leslie Madsen-Brooks develops learning experiences for K-12, university, and museum clients. She blogs at The Clutter Museum, Museum Blogging, and The Multicultural Toy Box.