Boys in shorts

My son has been getting some strange looks the last few days as he has chosen to wear shorts even though the temperature has been close to zero. I did persuade him to wear knee high socks to keep most of his skin covered but all the other children were well wrapped up:

He looked very old fashioned from the days when boys wore shorts all year round whatever the weather. My dad grew up in the 50s and remembers not having long trousers until he was older. Putting boys in shorts was probably practical as it reduced the number of knees that needed patching! Boys had a right of passage at 13 - 14 when they were finally allowed to wear long trousers.