Anonymous wrote:My aunt was hit with the nun’s wooden pointer for using her left hand. Terrible!

I was just going to say that even the nuns couldn't beat it out of me.

Though I do use right handed scissor out of necessity.

No. Why would you do this?

Anonymous wrote:My 4 years old is left-handed (writing, using scissors, utensils etc.). We don’t really correct her or anything, but my mom was just worries about her handwriting when videochatting with me this morning. I know many left handed were using right hand to write. Shall I do that to help my kid for future writing? She’s just very into writing lately. She can use left hand for everything else. Any thoughts?

Good lord NO. You are crazy!

I'm very left handed. Not even remotely ambidextrous, as some posters seem to be.

The ability to switch may depend on the degree of handedness. For my brain, it wouldn't have worked.

I lived in China for years, up until fairly recently. My teachers would have to physically look away when I worked on writing characters. I get it.

In the US, handedness doesn't matter. Except if you want to your child to be president. Then, left handed appears to be an odd advantage.

For those still in Shanghai? Honestly, screw 'em.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 4 years old is left-handed (writing, using scissors, utensils etc.). We don’t really correct her or anything, but my mom was just worries about her handwriting when videochatting with me this morning. I know many left handed were using right hand to write. Shall I do that to help my kid for future writing? She’s just very into writing lately. She can use left hand for everything else. Any thoughts?

Just a guess but is your mother from a former Soviet bloc country or Russia?

She’s already answered that she’s Chinese. If you read the whole thread it’s pretty clear that her mind is made up and she’s looking for validation.

The science is clear- this causes brain damage. Just because a practice belongs to a culture, we don’t have to say yes that’s ok. Although there will be gray areas with room for debate, I’m against brain damage. I’m against female genital mutilation. I’m against football until they figure out how to prevent the constant concussions, too. This goes in all directions.

My aunt was hit with the nun’s wooden pointer for using her left hand. Terrible!

Anonymous wrote:My 4 years old is left-handed (writing, using scissors, utensils etc.). We don’t really correct her or anything, but my mom was just worries about her handwriting when videochatting with me this morning. I know many left handed were using right hand to write. Shall I do that to help my kid for future writing? She’s just very into writing lately. She can use left hand for everything else. Any thoughts?

Just a guess but is your mother from a former Soviet bloc country or Russia?

*sports

Absolutely not.

Now have her start skirts and enjoy the advantages that come with being left handed.

Anonymous wrote:I am also Chinese and my parents did this. I am smart, normal, successful and had no trauma. I’m not in counseling and in not was impaired. I don’t even remember how they did it. I was born and raised here. It you decide to do this, it’s fine. I still use chopsticks with my left hand so the only thing awkward in my life is sitting at a round table at a Chinese wedding banquet. LOL!

Yep, except we're a family of an unusually equal number of lefties and righties so we all just sit on one side or the other but, you're right, or should I say correct; round tables can be a challenge.

I will say, though, that while many products are getting better at accommodating lefties (scissors, mice, smartphone cameras!) there are still some notable exceptions (spiral/3-ring binders, rulers, pocketknives with spring assist, D/SLR camera). I'm also not a fan of the hooked-hand method of teaching lefties to write and proper techniques involve pushing the instrument across the paper rather than pulling it -- so chose a smooth, fast-drying ink (I'm a personal fan of the Pentel EnerGel models).

Lefties are also usually much better at right-handed "tasks" than righties are at being forced to use the left and, in sports, being left-handed is almost always an advantage (except maybe for golf, where it's usually because the equipment is more rare and, sadly, more expensive). Musical instruments, though, tend to favor the right-handed world....but lefties make better piano players.

Please don't force exclusive writing with one hand or the other....but there's nothing wrong in encouraging it! (says the mom whose RH DC has twice broken something on that limb and needed to flex....to the left!).

What a weird troll post. Handedness??

Anonymous wrote:My 4 years old is left-handed (writing, using scissors, utensils etc.). We don’t really correct her or anything, but my mom was just worries about her handwriting when videochatting with me this morning. I know many left handed were using right hand to write. Shall I do that to help my kid for future writing? She’s just very into writing lately. She can use left hand for everything else. Any thoughts?

absolutely not!!!

This is completely bizarre. No one makes left handed people use their right hands anymore because we know it’s damaging and wrong. Op you sound like a complete psycho. Leave your poor child alone.

Every member of my immediate family is a lefty. All four of us write with our left hands. All four of us have different (from each other) yet perfectly nice, legible handwriting.

We each have one or two things we do righty. I can use scissors with either hand, and use knives with both, and do gymnastics righty. My dad bats righty.

I think how strongly handed people are is a degree thing. I’m right handed but fairly ambidextrous — when I was in elementary school, writing both ways was my party trick and when I’m learning something new teachers often have to decide/remind me which side I’m supposed to use for what. Whereas some kids just know instinctively which hand they use and switching is really really hard for them. You could try having your child switch hands as an experiment and see what happens; if they’re only loosely left handed, you’ll get someone like the non traumatized stories here who considers is no big deal. But if they’re constantly endlessly switching things back to their left hand I suspect fighting it will result in SIGNIFICANTLY worse handwriting and a lot of misery for all involved. Assuming you live in the US, left handiness is not uncommon and not considered a big deal.