WishboneDawn Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 There have been a LOT of threads lately by right-handed parents wondering how to deal with a left-handed child. My husband and I are both lefties and both kids are righties. It never even occurred to us that our right-handed children might need any special treatment from us. I never changed how I would show them to write, knit, colour, etc. They never have a problem watching me o something left-handed and then doing that with their right. As a lefty, it's how I learned. I never had any special accommodation and just learned how to interpret what I saw righties do into what I needed to do. It's my opinion that right-handed parents need to chill out BIG time over this. :D It's just not a big deal. But I thought I should confirm my experience with other lefty parents just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 My mother left all right-handed task teaching to our father. She's always asking how my left-handed daughter is doing. To her, it is a big deal. But she also went to a school where she had to bring a written note from my grandmother, demanding she not be "switched" to right-handedness. So I think she has some baggage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Both of my parents are lefties and all five of their children are right handed (is the proper term for that north paw?:tongue_smilie:). They never worried about us. At all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeeBeaks Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'm a lefty parent with all right-handers so far. I have never done a single thing differently, except perhaps to show a pencil grip using my right hand so they can directly copy. I honestly have a kind of odd grip I use that is not what our curriculum recommends. So I just demonstrate with my right hand for them how to hold the pencil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'm a righty, dh is a lefty, my kids are two righties and a lefty. Never stressed about it one way or the other for even one second. Completely not a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangearrow Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 There have been a LOT of threads lately by right-handed parents wondering how to deal with a left-handed child. My husband and I are both lefties and both kids are righties. It never even occurred to us that our right-handed children might need any special treatment from us. I never changed how I would show them to write, knit, colour, etc. They never have a problem watching me o something left-handed and then doing that with their right. As a lefty, it's how I learned. I never had any special accommodation and just learned how to interpret what I saw righties do into what I needed to do. It's my opinion that right-handed parents need to chill out BIG time over this. :D It's just not a big deal. But I thought I should confirm my experience with other lefty parents just in case. :iagree: I have never understood all the hoopla, myself. Two out of my three are righties and it was just not *that* hard to wrap my brain around. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 As a lefty, it's how I learned. I never had any special accommodation and just learned how to interpret what I saw righties do into what I needed to do. It's my opinion that right-handed parents need to chill out BIG time over this. :D It's just not a big deal. :iagree::iagree: No offense if you were one of the posters, but I have also noticed a lot of these threads and as a left-handed parent, it just makes me kind of :confused:. I learned from right-handed parents just fine and I didn't have special notebooks. So, yes, the recent threads have had me scratching my head. ETA: My kids are both right-ies and that is probably the ONE thing I haven't stressed about, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'm left, dh is right. We have a mix with the kids. Never worried about it with the right handed kids. I don't worry about it overly much with the left handed ones either, other than to note that there are some left handed tendencies that need to watched for and to help them through. When you're right, everything is right. When you are left, not everything is left, some things are right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Another vote for "huh?" LOL Dh and I are both righties and we have 3 lefties, 3 righties. *shrug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellyndria Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'm a leftie, DS is a rightie. I've never worried at all. It hasn't been an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 :iagree::iagree:No offense if you were one of the posters, but I have also noticed a lot of these threads and as a left-handed parent, it just makes me kind of :confused:. I learned from right-handed parents just fine and I didn't have special notebooks. So, yes, the recent threads have had me scratching my head. ETA: My kids are both right-ies and that is probably the ONE thing I haven't stressed about, lol. :( I posted a thread looking for a binder a week ago. I was just trying to be considerate and not put him in a situation where it is difficult to write. I've seen him try to write over spirals and I think it looks uncomfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'm a righty and DH is a lefty. Our two DC are both righties. I think it would be actually kinda cool if one of our DC took after DH. But I wouldn't stress or make a big deal out of it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 DH is a lefty and no, he doesn't stress. :) The girls and I are righties. Thought Sylvia was going to go lefty, but nope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 My dh is a lefty and he doesn't stress about much.:lol: I have 1 child so far who is a lefty and I never batted an eye about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 :thumbup: Another vote for "huh?" LOL Dh and I are both righties and we have 3 lefties, 3 righties. *shrug* :thumbup: good to know there are relaxed righties out there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 :( I posted a thread looking for a binder a week ago. I was just trying to be considerate and not put him in a situation where it is difficult to write. I've seen him try to write over spirals and I think it looks uncomfortable. I think specific technical issues are excluded. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 My dad, sister, and I are all lefties. My mom plays sports left-handed (taught by her lefty brother). I play sports right handed. My dad is the only one who writes "upside down," with his hand curled around the pencil. I was sad that neither of my kids are left handed. To teach them proper pencil grip, I sat across the table from them and had them mirror me. Yep, no big deal to teach a lefty. Or righty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 as a mother of a leftie (and another who took his time deciding), it's not a big deal. dd is an adult and turned out just fine. It was probably advantageous for her when she was fingering viola . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 as a mother of a leftie (and another who took his time deciding), it's not a big deal. dd is an adult and turned out just fine. It was probably advantageous for her when she was fingering viola . . . . When I played violin as a child I got the nickname "Wormfingers". Sounds bad but it was a compliment because my fingering was so quick and flexible. Never occurred to me util a few months ago that it was my left hand, the one with all the fine motor skills, was doing the fingering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I am a lefty with a righty dh. My big girls are right-handed. I don't give it a thought, except to wonder if #3 might possibly be a lefty someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I did for awhile and then I relaxed. I worried that I didn't know how to do things right handed, but it's not caused any issues at all, except for him learning to write. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love_to_Read Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 (edited) Since my oldest (leftie) has some sensory-motor issues, I do worry about her a little. I probably will have her try a top-bound notebook at some point, and I've been known to catch her doing things awkwardly with her right hand (like laying on the bed to read the assignment, and then trying to write the answers right-handed since that hand is free) and remind her that she's IS a lefty, so please switch hands back to the correct one (left)! :lol: In my experience as a child, it didn't matter much, but I did go through a phase of being interested in left-handed products, so I'm kind of keeping an eye to see whether it matters to her given the extra difficulty. For my right-handers, I'm not too worried. I think it'd be pretty funny if I got dh to teach them as the right-handed parent. Not gonna happen, though; timewise it will be me, and I'm sure they're fine. I don't really see them watching me, tbh. I put the pencil in their hands and adjust their fingers...I guess I do show them with my fingers for a moment...but it's not like they stare at me across the table doing actual writing, it's just placing the pencil in the hand before getting started. It's more, "Ok, the pencil needs to rest on your middle finger...no, don't use your whole fist..." They focus on which fingers are doing the work, and use the corresponding fingers. I'm not sure they've even noticed that I'm left-handed. Actually, I'm not sure which hand I've been using to show them...without much thought, I usually choose whichever one they can see better. So,..if I'm on their left, I'll use my left, and if I'm on their right I'll use my right. Lol, now that I think about it, usually I do position myself on the opposite side so I can watch what they are writing; so on the left of a rightie with my left to demonstrate, or on the right of my leftie with my right to demonstrate, so it's the outer hands being used as we sit side by side. Which means that I'm a left-handed parent showing my leftie how to write with my right hand. :tongue_smilie::lol: Edited July 21, 2011 by Love_to_Read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akmommy Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Nope, never worried about it. As a lefty the only accommadation I do really appreciate is notebooks that have glued or sewn bindings, but I can get by without them. The more I think about it the less I like the idea of making a bunch of accommodations or buying special products for lefties. It's a right handed world and lefties are the ones who who have to adapt to that fact. When we go out into world employers and other places we have to spend time and function are not going to make accommodations for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love_to_Read Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Most of the accomodations I grew up with were simple... 1. Take the paper out of the binder while writing; put it back when done. Develop a preference for binders instead of notebooks. 2. Get in the habit of not dragging pinky across the paper...hard to do when furiously taking notes, but hey, those don't have to be neat, so who cares. 3. If you have to cut with fussy sicissors using the wrong hand, you just apply pressure a certain way to keep the blades together. 4. Eat with elbows at sides if crowded. 5. Don't be afraid to try it right-handed...a few things feel normal that way. Can't think of any others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChandlerMom Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 (edited) I think "stress" is too strong (and loaded) of a word. I don't stress about my kids handedness. But I am *aware* of challenges to teaching both R and L handed. I did decide to leave handwriting of my eldest (RH) dd to my (RH) dh. I just thought it would be easier for him to model, I use a weird grip/slant, and it was an easy excuse to get him involved. :D I liked handing over that piece and it gave him a 10min daily interaction with her as a homeschooler. I think it's unfair to be too hard on RH parents, though. Being a leftie means I've had to deal with the BS and adaptation, so btdt and know it'll be less of an issue with my RH'r. For me growing up LH at times it was a serious PITA, usually when a teacher was just clueless or school room LH-unfriendly (college). If a person is RH, a LH child can seem perplexing. Most of the posts I read as just concerned parents wanting to know what was/wasn't an issue since they were aware it was outside their experience, rather than they're being "stressed". I guess I don't see anything wrong with a parent being concerned and asking the questions, even if the answer is to relax and let the child lead/adapt. In fact, I see a lot RIGHT with that approach and wish more of my elementary teachers stopped a moment and cared enough to ask someone! Edited July 21, 2011 by ChandlerMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love_to_Read Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I think "stress" is too strong (and loaded) of a word. I don't stress about my kids handedness. But I am *aware* of challenges to teaching both R and L handed. I did decide to leave handwriting of my eldest (RH) dd to my (RH) dh. I just thought it would be easier for him to model, I use a weird grip/slant, and it was an easy excuse to get him involved. :D I liked handing over that piece and it gave him a 10min daily interaction with her as a homeschooler. I think it's unfair to be too hard on RH parents, though. Being a leftie means I've had to deal with the BS and adaptation, so btdt and know it'll be less of an issue with my RH'r. For me growing up LH at times it was a serious PITA, usually when a teacher was just clueless or school room LH-unfriendly (college). If a person is RH, a LH child can seem perplexing. Most of the posts I read as just concerned parents wanting to know what was/wasn't an issue since they were aware it was outside their experience, rather than they're being "stressed". I guess I don't see anything wrong with a parent being concerned and asking the questions, even if the answer is to relax and let the child lead/adapt. In fact, I see a lot RIGHT with that approach and wish more of my elementary teachers stopped a moment and cared enough to ask someone! :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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