To go to school or not go to school?

I went to Costco the other day. It was the first day of school for many children in the Halifax Regional Municipality. I got the usually question "Are they all yours?" Nothing new there. Apparently, not many people go around grocery shopping with an entourage of four children 5-years-old and under!

As I walked around, I became acutely aware that my son was not in school. Gulp! A strange feeling overtook me: I felt like I was somehow doing something "wrong". I mean, my son was supposed to be in school, right? We soon left Costco after a good game of "Red light, green light" and learning to practice our left and our right while navigating the shopping cart. Learning doesn't have to take place in school, right?

Later that afternoon, I silently watched the other children climb off the bus in front of our house. It was bittersweet. I feel blessed that I get to keep my baby boy at home with me longer. I am eager and excited about home educating. And yet I can't help but wonder if CheChe will be okay with us at home. All summer, everyone from unknowing family members to cashiers at the store have been asking him if he's excited about going to school. And every time he has answered them "Yes!" with glowing eyes. How can he not get excited about going to school when everyone is asking him about it? I truly feel that this is the best decision for our family, yet, all of this somehow makes me feel like I will be depriving him of something; that he'll somehow be missing out on something by not going to a "building" school.

It's normal for a newbie homeschooler to feel like this, right? I guess constant questioning comes with being a parent...

How did you feel when you first started homeschooling?