Like many of you, I packed my two kids off to their first day of the 2009-2010 school year today. They were sound asleep last night at a wonderfully decent hour, and up and dressed with great cooperation this morning.

I, on the other hand, tossed and turned.

The start of a new school year is the beginning of a new routine for parents, too. Compared with summer, which seems to glide by more quickly each year, it's an opportunity for a season of worry.

Such as: What's behind my child's placement with a certain teacher? Will she/he make new friends this year? How much homework will there be, and how will that affect the nightly routine? Will I, the parent, be able to get home in time each night to help with it all -- and keep my job?

My husband, a former teacher, says he has a "back to school" dream every year on the eve of the first day.

What are you worrying about today, if anything?

Photo taken at a Dundalk school by Baltimore Sun photographer Lloyd Fox