On being left handed

My nephew is left handed and when he was at school they tried to force him to use his right hand. He’s only 50 now so not that long ago.

My GD is too but it doesn’t bother her (apart from trying to learn the guitar!)

I can only vaguely remember attempts to correct it when I was a small child. I eventually grew up to write with my right hand but do everything else left handed. For example I use my left hand to use a carving knife or a screw driver and wouldn’t have a hope of doing it right handed. I even kick a ball with my left foot.

I'm not myself nor my parents but 2 of my DC and 2 of my sister's so we suspect, as it's genetic, if our DGPs who we never met as they were all born in the 19th century, were lefties but forced to change.

One DS has always coped brilliantly and is very creative. His brother is bright but found all practical things from writing to tying shoelaces very hard. The advent of the computer was a Godsend for him.

I’m left handed. Find it character building more than anything else. Everything is designed for the majority, we just have to find a work-around. Even my hand-held GTech vacuum is now handist. The lights showing how much battery charge is remaining is on the wrong side and cannot be seen when vacuuming. Trying to get a wet-wipe out of the packet is another trial. Recently tried putting spacers on a new hover mower. No way could I get the blade screw untightened with my left hand. Easy with my right and yet that hand is the weaker one. I know that left handlers are supposed to be exceptionally bright, sadly that bit passed me by.

crazyH

Lefthanders are very bright and special people. Not bragging ….my Dad (High Court Judge), one of my sons (Neurosurgeon), and my little 10 year old grandson (rather bright) are all left handed.

Sounds great, and just proves that being left-handed isn't a barrier to getting on in life.

Lefthanders are very bright and special people. Not bragging ….my Dad (High Court Judge), one of my sons (Neurosurgeon), and my little 10 year old grandson (rather bright) are all left handed.

My wife is left-handed and has occasionally found things slightly more difficult to use, like can openers for example (we have an electric one now, so easier).

These days there are shops/websites selling items specifically for left-handed people, making things (hopefully) a bit easier.

Oddly, my younger brother is right-handed but from a very early age has used a knife and fork like a left-handed person. Our mother spotted it when he was first given them, swapped them round and watched as he immediately switched back to left hand mode. She accepted that's his way and left it at that.

My son is left handed, my sister in law, my step daughter, my husband's eldest gd. Horrifying to read about how left handers were once treated as deviants Particularly as some of the most talented in history, artists and musicians were amongst their number. From a right handed perspective, writing looks so hard, my son writes in Barack Obama mode, such an effort to my eyes!

I'm left handed as is DD2 and her eldest daughter. It felt much more of a problem when I was younger than now.

My oldest is a leftie. I am happy to report that, at least in the US, no one cares about handedness now. My mom was a leftie too and she would talk about the stigma she faced as a child.

Are you a bit ambidextrous? It has been my experience that most lefties become so out of survival in a right handed world.

My dad also had his left hand tied behind his back at school and so became ambidextrous. As you say was so cruel.