The Answer

Apparently, Bonnie, in her free time from being the mother of three adorable little munchkins, is an amateur sleuth, because her comment about why David was wearing a dress was right on. Here are a few of the details she missed! :)

Yesterday, our homeschool co-op had a field trip, for those who wished to participate, to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Museum, and Birthplace in nearby Staunton, Virginia. I remember a fun field trip there as a school girl, and I was glad for the opportunity to take Josiah and David (and my mother stayed here with Tobin and canned applesauce while he slept, so all my boys had a good morning). Actually, Josiah and David had both been there once before--in the fall of 2006 when Jeff's sister and her family came from California for their first visit to our "new" home. Since their last name is Wilson, it was only appropriate that we take them to the first home of President Wilson! What I remember mostly from that trip is the anxiety I felt as we toured the home, knowing that one of the dear little boys in our group could, in just a moment of not obeying the rules, ruin something priceless and irreplaceable! During yesterday's visit, I was much more relaxed. :)

The students from our co-op were divided into three groups, based on their age; and I don't know about the other groups, but I must say that our tour guide did a very good job of tailoring her talk to the level of the students in our group. She made it interactive and talked about things that would be interesting to them. I thought it was very well done.

In the picture below, the students (before they divided into the groups) learn about Wilson's presidential car. Pretty fancy schmancy for its day, it was!
Josiah (with David right in front of him but hard to see) listens intently.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the home itself where Woodrow was born (Woodrow is his middle name, by the way...Thomas is his first, and he was called Tommy as a boy); but after that part of the tour, we got to experience a schoolroom of his times, and the children got to draw on slates and practice handwriting. The next time Josiah complains about the simple handwriting I make him practice, I'll remind him of the elaborate handwriting that Woodrow had to master!

I wasn't sure how fully David, at 3 years of age, would be able or would want to participate in all the activities; but he jumped right in without hesitation...

...and drew a house as instructed (one house, two chimneys, three windows, four trees, etc.).

Josiah concentrated fully on the task at hand, as is his nature.

And then it was time to learn about the toys of Wilson's day...and dress up...and play! The girls weren't reluctant at all to rush to the closet with the girl clothes and choose something pretty.

One little beauty...

...and another.

And another? Except--wait--that's a boy! So "handsome" is the word I'm looking for, despite the lacy ruffle around his neck. :)

So what's up with boys and dresses??? According to our guide, in the 1850s, it was customary for infant boys to wear dresses, then as they grew older, they wore "tunics" (which look like dresses to us), and then they were allowed to wear short pants under their tunics, and finally (around age 12 or 14, I think) were permitted to wear normal long pants like a man. The boys in our group yesterday got to experience a little of what the boys of that day went through; but of course, the boys of that day didn't know any differently so I'm sure it didn't bother them! Neither did it bother our boys who, almost as eagerly as the girls, went to the closet with the boy clothes and chose their desired finery. If either Josiah or David had resisted, not wanting to wear a dress, I wouldn't have pushed them a bit on that issue; but both were happy to wear a "tunic" and try out the old-fashioned games (which were not very easy, by the way)!

Besides seeing my boys in dresses, what I think I'll remember from yesterday is that Woodrow Wilson didn't know the letters of the alphabet until age 9 and didn't read until age 12. Despite his early difficulties with learning, he went on to become the highest-educated president ever, earning a Ph.D.--something no other president had done before or has done since. I'll also remember that almost all historians rank him in the list of top 10 presidents, usually around number 6 (according to our guide who could understandably be a bit biased). :)

All in all, it was a fun and educational day; and I'm glad we didn't miss the opportunity to participate in it! Because really, wasn't it worth it just to see David's cute face in a dress? ;)