ARTICLES
Life in the left lane
Are you wondering if your child is left-handed?
You may have to wait a couple of years to know. Starting out, babies will use both hands to reach for mobiles, your sparkly necklace, or to pull your face in close. That’s because reaching, grabbing and sucking their hands, are simple tasks that don’t require control over specific, smaller muscles. Hand dominance normally only becomes apparent as baby’s fine-motor skills develop.
Normally round about 18 months to 2 years is when parents start noticing the child’s preference for a particular hand, when they start eating with a spoon or scribbling with a crayon. However, some experts say that you have to wait until around age five or six to see for sure whether you’ve got a true “southpaw.”
Does left-handedness or right-handedness really matter in life?
We have looked into this, done a bit of research and our conclusion is that while it is certainly not a big deal, there are some very interesting ‘challenges’ that lefties face daily that we righties, are blissfully unaware of. Apparently, statistics show that 90% of the world is right-handed, so whether you’re a left- or right-handed parent, recognize the opportunities and the challenges of raising a left-handed child.
Let’s start off by busting some myths!
Myth 1: Left-handed people are more introverted, creative and artistic.
Truth: Due to so many talented people like Leonardo de Vinci, Michelangelo, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Hendrix and Babe Ruth to name just a few ‘greats’ being lefties, this myth has taken flight over the years. Many studies have been undertaken over the last few years that have debunked the myth. In no studies is there any evidence that lefties are more introverted, more creative or more artistic than right-handed people. An extensive study, conducted by a university in The Netherlands in 2019, came to the same conclusion.
Myth 2: Left-handed people are generally more intelligent than right-handed people.
Truth: A study conducted in 2015, that included data on more than 16,000 individuals, found no difference in IQ levels among left- and right-handed people.
Myth 3: Left handers are frowned upon and sometimes even persecuted.
Truth: The fact that 5 out of the last 7 US presidents have been left-handed should bust this myth all on its own, but beside that, statistics show that they don’t feel persecuted any more than right-handed people do in this day and age. While there’s no doubt that left-handers have had it rough in the past, the persecution of lefties is certainly over, especially in Western cultures.
Myth 4: Lefties have disadvantage in many sports.
Truth: Well, that may be true in some sports like polo, where the mallet has to be on the right side of the horse, or in hockey where the rules, and the hockey sticks, are designed for right-handed people, but wait… In sports where opponents compete against each other face to face the southpaw is at a distinct advantage as he faces a right-handed opponent 90% of the time and so does the right-handed person. The right-handed person therefore only gets 10% experience of facing a left-handed person. Being able to bat and bowl left-handed is also a major advantage. Whichever side your child chooses, it’s important to decide early.
While we have busted some myths it is not entirely untrue that being left-handed comes with some challenges. Those of us that are right-handed just don’t realise how the world can sometimes be really inconvenient for lefties!
Who better to hear from than lefties themselves? Here are some quotes to prove the point.
Kim Murphy, a left-handed author from Virginia says, “While I cherish my creativity, I do find it difficult to live in a right-handed world. For instance, when I go to the library for research, there are rarely any computers set up for lefties. Garden equipment, such as weed whackers, can be downright dangerous for me to use. Still, I love being different.”
“Over the years I have found myself learning to be ambidextrous simply because I had to. The world is geared towards being right-handed: buttons on jackets, jeans, doorways, desks in school.” says Ernestine Sclafani, a public relations specialist in Los Angeles.
Daniel J. Sonkin, Ph.D., a marriage and family therapist who is left-handed, tells about growing up lefty in a righty world: “I never realised until I was older that the world is really made for right-handed
people. I used to think I was just a little clumsy walking through doors, on steps, or moving quickly around obstacles. I learned later that there were subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – differences in the construction of objects that was based on handiness.”
Here are a few handy tips to help your lefty cope in a world built for right-handed people.
• Get her left-handed scissors.
Yip, believe it or not, a pair of right-handed scissors will not work properly with the left hand. The sharper cutting blade is on the left side and the dull part won’t cut the paper or string. Your child may feel like he is doing something wrong, “Why can all the others do it so easily?” Just get him his own pair of left-handed scissors.
• Get him a left-handed pencil grip.
Writing is often the biggest hurdle for most left-handed children. You must understand the lefties do things different than righties – and that’s okay. It’s their norm. The same rules do not apply, just allow what comes naturally to the child. “It’s okay to cross a T or J from right to left instead of left to right, draw an S from the bottom up, or dot the i and j first before drawing the letter,” says Deb Graham, M.S., a special education expert in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, who works with left-handed children. She explains that these conventions were created for righties to avoid smudging as they write, so as long as your lefty’s writing is legible and comfortable, go for it! The goal is comfort and confidence, not struggle.
• Whenever you can, use your left hand to show him things.
Try eating with the fork in your right hand, using chopsticks with your left hand or tying your shoelaces the ‘wrong’ way around. This is going to take some practice on your part. Perhaps use directions that have nothing to do with left or right, such as the “bunny ears” method, where you make two loops, cross them over, tuck one through and pull to tighten.
Reorienting your child and not thinking of things in terms of right and left or right and wrong, will go a long way toward easing your child’s ability to adapt and thrive, whatever the circumstances. Repeat these cues as necessary to teach correct placement so that eventually right-handed doors won’t run over your child’s foot as she opens them and her arms won’t get crossed every time she opens the fridge.
Celebrate your Lefty
As mentioned, most things in the world are designed for use by right-handed people, so there are going to be challenges, so if you, or your child, are left-handed embrace it, as all challenges in life ultimately make you stronger!
