Lord Love A Lefty! August 13, 2013
I think I first noticed it when we were brushing her teeth. It had to be a year ago or more. We were facing the mirror and I reached around her face to help get those back baby teeth. Her little fist grasped the handle to mimic my back and forth movements. That’s when she got frustrated like toddlers do.
She switched the brush to her left hand and continued brushing.
Now, I had seen her use both hands while eating and coloring, but it was the frustration mimicking my right-handed movements that made me realize for the first time that we are right-handed parents possibly raising a left-handed child.
I understand she’s only 2 1/2 and could show ambidextrous qualities until age 5 or 6, but she really seems to favor her left. If she is left-handed she will be following after her Papa, my father-in-law, her grandfather. I personally think it’s really awesome. The lefties I know are really smart. I don’t know if they are any smarter than right-handed people, but there are studies showing that their brains do work differently.
Lately I’ve been asking left-handed friends and coworkers, “Hey, when did your parents notice you were left-handed? How old were you? They usually shrug and say something like, “I don’t know. I’d have to ask my mom.” I think it’s moms who recognize this stuff and start researching whether Ned Flander’s Leftorium really exists so they can get proper supplies for their little southpaws.
My only concern is being able to help her learn to write and do other fine motor tasks. I’ve found if I turn her to face me while brushing her teeth, I can use my right hand effectively and she can then mirror me with her left hand. Any opposite-handed parents have tips for raising a child using the other hand? When did your child show left or right-handedness?
I write this today because it’s International Left-Handers Day! Let’s hear it for little lefties and the parents raising them!
Spread it around:
Justin (3) is a lefty! We suspected it pretty early and are fairly sure of it now. He throws a ball left handed and always colors/writes with his left hand. I’m having trouble helping him write since the rest of us are right-handed. If I help with my right hand we can’t see the paper. If I help with my left I’m not very helpful. I need to make sure his teachers know he’s lefty. He’s not very into learning to write at school – perhaps they are trying to make him write with his right hand.
I don’t think they do that to children anymore. If he is being made to write with his right hand, that makes me so mad! They should be able to write however they need to to learn.
If you sit side by side with her on your right, your right hand is next to her left hand so you can help her very effectively hand over hand. It’s how I do it at least with my little lefty handers.
Good tip!
just make sure you get her left-handed scissors
Most of the kiddie ones now are universal.
Richard is a lefty too. I recognized it pretty early on, probably the same age Charlotte is. I’m pretty ambidextrous so it hasn’t been a huge issue with helping him do stuff, but it definitely is something I have to think about sometimes. Definitely get lefty scissors. “Regular” scissors just make it even more difficult for them to learn to cut – Richard has taken to trying to cut with his right hand sometimes when there are no lefty scissors around.
As for writing, I honestly haven’t run into much issue. Sitting to her left or sitting directly across from her might help, but I honestly don’t remember what/how I did to help. The biggest thing I tend to forget is when I try to hand him a pencil or spoon or whatever – I always offer it to his right hand unless I make a conscious effort, lol.
I thought most kid scissors these days were universal???
I think they might “claim” to be, but he has always struggled with regular ones. I even took a pair and tried cutting with them with my left hand and, I’ll be damned if they seriously wouldn’t cut.
LORD LOVE A LEFTY!! LOL.. this is too funny. I wish I had known we lefty’s had a day! I too am left handed and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can tell you left handed people think more using there “right side” of their brain. Meaning we thrive more from creative thought. We see things subjectively not so much objectively. We thrive on our intuition. It is a wonderful thing to be a lefty!!! Congrats mama!!! Thanks for sharing about your little stinker.. keep us posted on whether she turns out to be a lefty or not!! She is adorable! ~Leah~
Thanks Leah! Yay lefties!