I'll second (sixth, whatever) that keeping one's dc's "innocence" in today's youth culture is a big motivator for many homeschoolers. That and having a chance at passing on whatever the parents' morals and values are. It's one (of many) factors as to why we homeschool.
I actually know of a lady who brings her 11yo dd down to our rural county (from a VERY large metro area) once a month, to expose her to a less consumeristic, more innocent lifestyle and worldview. They participate in our homeschool activities and small town environment when they are here. She's just trying to keep her Dd at "11" vs. "11-going-on-31" like many of her age peers.
That said, environment is *key* to any of these relationships. We were just discussing today how the youth at the church we left several months ago were *so* age-segregated, clickish, and generally difficult to work with. Dd, being bright and the ONLY girl in her age group, tended to gravitate to a slightly older group of girls (10-11 to her 8-9yo). They completely rejected her, based on age alone. (She eventually rejected them, based on maturity...)
In our new church, we don't see these behaviors. All of the youth - from 3rd grade up to high school - seem to get along, enjoy each other's company, etc. They *are* segregated for classes, of course, in very broad age groups (like pre-readers, high-school, and everyone else). But, the atmosphere is so very different.
So, it's not just the public education system that can be the source of problems - any group environment can make or break a child's innocence.
From my personal experience, it was primarily dance classes....
