Need advice from left-handers

[HomeOnTheRanch]

I'm right-handed. My husband is right-handed. My first four children are right-handed. I'm pretty sure my 4yo and 2yo are left-handed. I'm trying to remain calm, but I'm concerned I'm going to ruin them. We've just been going with the flow, but I have no clue how to "teach" handwriting. My 4yo seems to be doing ok making his general letter shapes, but I'm not sure if it is best to just let him figure it out on his own or try to teach him.

 

He eats with both hands and is fairly ambidextrous with most tasks, however he typically draws and colors with his left hand.

 

I gave my 2yo a pair of (right-handed) safety scissors and I was trying to guide her right hand to use them. She was cutting the paper, but when I turned around she switched to using them upside down with her left hand contorted around. Do I "need" to get left-handed implements, or just let them figure out life in a world made for right-handers?

 

I'm completely open to doing whatever, but I'd like to start out right...er...correctly. :mellow:

[happyhomemaker]

Ds is a lefty, and the jury is still out on dd2. For ds, I googled left handed pencil holding to make sure he had a proper grip. I taught letter formation just like I did for dd who is a righty. I hope that was ok- he has fairly decent penmanship now. The thing he needed was lots of practice on was doing circles counterclockwise. He always wanted to go the other way.

 

As far as scissors go, I've read different things about whether true left handed scissors are necessary or not. I will say that ds was a horrendous cutter until I got him real left handed scissors this year. I was amazed at the difference in his cutting ability. Previously he had used scissors that say they are for lefties and righties. They really didn't work for him.

[Mélie]

Handwriting Without Tears has good, clear instructions for teaching penmanship to a lefty. Ds had basically taught himself to write already, but HWT fixed a few awkward things he was doing.

 

We have left-handed scissors, just to make it easier on him. He can use right-handed scissors, but his hand gets tired from having to hold them a certain way.

[Arcadia]

Me and my 7 year old are ambidextrous. We still switch around.

 

These links explain hand dominance and how to help

"Most literature cites that hand dominance is established by age seven. From observation, hand dominance is seen as early as age four." (link)

"Hand dominance

 

typically becomes established between the ages of 3-4. However,

some children are still developing a dominant hand at 5 years of age." (link)

[hmvaughan4]

My leftie and I use our right hand to cut.

[Dahliarw]

My dh is a leftie. He hasn't used it (obviously) but has agreed that HWOT would work well for a left-handed child. The letter formation is the same, regardless of hands.

 

Something to keep in mind as you go along in your schooling if you truly have leftie children. Spiral bound books are horrible for left handed children, the spiral is always where their hand sits, so keep that in mind for workbooks and such. Also, lefties tend to drag their hand across text as they write, so making sure that the surface and writing instrument don't promote smearing is very helpful. I know those two things have been a huge frustration for dh (I knew him back in high school). Fortunately with the way the world is now, most things are typed and that is the same regardless of hands, so it seems to be less of an issue now that dh is out of school.

[Walking-Iris]

I'm a lefty and all three of my children are. I teach my kids how to use right handed scissors. Some parents/teachers rather use left handed but the world is usually set up to be right-handed so I hold the opinion of teach them to use the right handed scissors and can opener etc first and they won't have to relearn anything later. Neither of my kids have any issues using the scissors.

 

You would teach them to write the same way anyone writes. The letters aren't formed differently. Sometimes a left hander may cross a T or something differently (or make a check mark backwards) but the essentials of handwriting are still the same. I love HWT. Cursive---I would't emphasize the dreaded slant. Slanting is hard. My handwriting got all screwy because a cursive teacher was determined to make me slant. Don't force them to slant. Again HWT is great for that.

 

Also the biggest thing is to make sure you sit on their right hand side. When you sit on their left and you write some example, they can't see it. If you sit on their left and they write, you can't see it. Sit on the right hand side or in front of a left handed student.

 

Also allow for comfort. Not all lefties will curve their hand. (think of Obama signing) I don't and none of my kids do. Don't worry if they do, but also don't assume they will. Allow them to turn their paper how it feels good. I keep my arm and hand straight but my paper is sideways. IF they say they don't like spirals go ahead and let them write on loose leaf or use spirals at the top notebooks. So far my kids don't seem to mind, but I was a mess in school if that spiral started hurting my arm. Also smearing has never been an issue due to how I slant my paper my hand is always under the line I'm writng. You'll see how to tweak things for them depending on their very unique left-handedness.

 

Also don't make a big deal about it. Some lefties can get pretty sensitive with all the "oh you're a leftie" remarks. Hardly anyone ever says "oh you're right-handed." Try not to cause any self-consciousness. I haven't met very many left-handers yet who don't get a little miffed with those comments. Just teach them like normal.

 

I promise. It'll be okay. My dh (right-handed) freaked a bit, and I didn't get why. But even he sees that it's no big deal.

[Ellie]

Mr. Ellie is a lefty. He uses right-handed scissors (he even worked in a fabric store for awhile, and always used right-handed scissors). He also plays the guitar right-handed.

 

Teach your dc to hold their pens/pencils/eating utensils properly; lefties don't have to contort their hands to eat and write. If the left-handed-hook thing starts, try slanting their paper the opposite way a rightie does.

[Walking-Iris]

Mr. Ellie is a lefty. He uses right-handed scissors (he even worked in a fabric store for awhile, and always used right-handed scissors). He also plays the guitar right-handed.

 

Teach your dc to hold their pens/pencils/eating utensils properly; lefties don't have to contort their hands to eat and write. If the left-handed-hook thing starts, try slanting their paper the opposite way a rightie does.

 

LOL I cannot hold a guitar left handed!! My dh was trying to teach me chords and was wondering how to think of an upside-down guitar and I said "why in the world would I play it upside-down?" I'm also not a Southpaw oddly enough. Growing up I threw and held a bat the regular 'ol way. I mouse right-handed. The only things I really can't do right handed is write and eat, peel or slice with a knife. I think all of that just really depends on the comfort of the left handed person, kwim?

[Ellie]

LOL I cannot hold a guitar left handed!! My dh was trying to teach me chords and was wondering how to think of an upside-down guitar and I said "why in the world would I play it upside-down?" I'm also not a Southpaw oddly enough. Growing up I threw and held a bat the regular 'ol way. I mouse right-handed. The only things I really can't do right handed is write and eat, peel or slice with a knife. I think all of that just really depends on the comfort of the left handed person, kwim?

 

 

I'm sure it does depend on the lefty's comfort. :-) Mr. Ellie thinks playing the guitar left-handed is smart, because his left hand is stronger than his right, KWIM?

 

I think he plays baseball as a lefty, and bowling. He has a left-handed bowling ball. He also uses a right-handed mouse. But he does most other things as a lefty (except for the afore-mentioned scissors).(and guitar).

[boscopup]

I haven't done anything special with my 3 year old (almost 4). He's still ambidextrous, but leans left. He writes quite nicely for a 3 year old. His fine motor skills are better than that of his right handed brothers. The counterclockwise circles and such have to be taught to right handed kids too. That didn't come naturally to my righties.

 

I am having my son use right handed scissors. If, when he's older, they become a problem, I'll get left handed ones then. I'm not borrowing trouble, assuming he'll have problems because he is left handed. He's doing better than I would expect for his age now, regardless of handedness.

[Violet Crown]

Re: spiral notebooks

 

I went through my whole school and college career just flipping them over, writing my name and subject on the back cover, and taking notes in them from back to front. Very convenient.

 

I disagree with forcing lefties not to hook their hands. I have very neat hooked-hand writing; but one teacher made most of fourth grade language arts hell by forcing me always to write (awkwardly, slowly, and crudely) with my hand in the "proper" position, until my mom complained to the principal.

[almondbutterandjelly]

I'm a lefty and my dd is a lefty. Grip can be tricky. I let my dd use what works for her, even if it looks funny to me. Handwriting can be more challenging for a lefty because where righties pull, lefties have to push (or maybe it's vice versa. But anyway, the lefty way is harder on the hand).

 

Fiskars makes good lefty scissors (true lefty scissors). You will probably have to order them off the internet. Buy many pairs. Make sure there are true lefty scissors, as in the blade on the right is lower than the blade on the left. (Scissors that are supposedly made for both lefties and righties don't work. The blades are not correct, so a lefty can't see what she is cutting.)

 

Handwriting with Tears is great for lefties for printing. I started using the cursive for my lefty, too, but then I didn't like the way they joined the letters and the look of some of them, so we switched to a Reason for Handwriting. Don't worry about the slant. If I had to do it over, I would probably go with New American Cursive by Memoria Press.

 

Zippers and buttons can be challenging for lefties, too. Just be understanding if they don't learn as fast as righties.

[unfrumpable.]

I'm a lefty and I have to say that I never thought to wonder if I would be able to teach my righty son to write. lol :)

 

True left handed scissors are wonderful! I can cut right handed just fine too, it's just something you pick up in a right handed world. However, I love my left handed Gingher scissors.

 

As for all other lefty stuff, I say meh. I guess spiral notebooks can be a pain, but I use them to this day with no problem. They used to make spiral notebooks with the spiral on the other side for lefties, but I haven't seen those in forever! I think my biggest and only lefty complaint is getting ink all over my pinky finger when writing and/or smearing what I just wrote. I never hooked my hand to write.

[unfrumpable.]

LOL I cannot hold a guitar left handed!! My dh was trying to teach me chords and was wondering how to think of an upside-down guitar and I said "why in the world would I play it upside-down?" I'm also not a Southpaw oddly enough. Growing up I threw and held a bat the regular 'ol way. I mouse right-handed. The only things I really can't do right handed is write and eat, peel or slice with a knife. I think all of that just really depends on the comfort of the left handed person, kwim?

 

 

 

Now I'm curious, how many lefties use their left hand for the mouse? I always assumed everyone used the mouse on the right regardless of hand dominance.

[almondbutterandjelly]

 

 

Now I'm curious, how many lefties use their left hand for the mouse? I always assumed everyone used the mouse on the right regardless of hand dominance.

 

I am a lefty and use my left hand for the mouse. I don't reverse the buttons, though. We have a wireless mouse, so it's easy to switch around depending on who is using the computer (dh is a righty).

[ScoutTN]

I am a lefty and so are both of my kids. DS is very ambidextrous with everything except writing.

We have used HWT with good results. DD uses NAC for cursive and is doing well.

 

I agree with many of the comments upthread: teach a good grip, tilt the paper, sit to the right. Scissors - go with what works for now, but in this right-handed universe most lefties learn to use righty scissors, so keep it in the back of your mind for a few years down the road if you go with lefty scissors now.

[almondbutterandjelly]

My left-handed DD has the most beautiful handwriting, and I did nothing special to instruct her. Being a leftie is not necessarily a big deal.

 

Now, on the other hand (excuse the pun)... I just can't figure out how to teach her to tie her shoelaces :blushing: .

 

Don't feel bad. I'm left-handed and couldn't teach my lefty dd how to tie her shoelaces either. Righty daddy showed her in a way that she understood. She was still really slow for years, though, until we found a youtube video (recommended on these forums, I think) that described the "fastest way ever" to tie shoelaces. Totally super and made shoe lace tying much faster for my dd.

[redsquirrel]

 

 

Now I'm curious, how many lefties use their left hand for the mouse? I always assumed everyone used the mouse on the right regardless of hand dominance.

 

 

My lefty son taught himself to mouse with his right hand. He is the only lefty in the house. He started using a mouse when he was 4-ish, so it wasn't a struggle, just they way it worked. He is now almost 13 and he says he is glad he learned to use a mouse with his right. He thinks it would be a pain to go through life switching every keyboard.

 

I really wish I had a left hand can opener. He really can't use a right hand can opener. It is painful to watch him try. He's ok with right handed scissors but prefers (and is safer) left hand scissors.

[MelAR05]

I'm a lefty and all three of my children are. I teach my kids how to use right handed scissors. Some parents/teachers rather use left handed but the world is usually set up to be right-handed so I hold the opinion of teach them to use the right handed scissors and can opener etc first and they won't have to relearn anything later. Neither of my kids have any issues using the scissors.

 

You would teach them to write the same way anyone writes. The letters aren't formed differently. Sometimes a left hander may cross a T or something differently (or make a check mark backwards) but the essentials of handwriting are still the same. I love HWT. Cursive---I would't emphasize the dreaded slant. Slanting is hard. My handwriting got all screwy because a cursive teacher was determined to make me slant. Don't force them to slant. Again HWT is great for that.

 

Also the biggest thing is to make sure you sit on their right hand side. When you sit on their left and you write some example, they can't see it. If you sit on their left and they write, you can't see it. Sit on the right hand side or in front of a left handed student.

 

Also allow for comfort. Not all lefties will curve their hand. (think of Obama signing) I don't and none of my kids do. Don't worry if they do, but also don't assume they will. Allow them to turn their paper how it feels good. I keep my arm and hand straight but my paper is sideways. IF they say they don't like spirals go ahead and let them write on loose leaf or use spirals at the top notebooks. So far my kids don't seem to mind, but I was a mess in school if that spiral started hurting my arm. Also smearing has never been an issue due to how I slant my paper my hand is always under the line I'm writng. You'll see how to tweak things for them depending on their very unique left-handedness.

 

Also don't make a big deal about it. Some lefties can get pretty sensitive with all the "oh you're a leftie" remarks. Hardly anyone ever says "oh you're right-handed." Try not to cause any self-consciousness. I haven't met very many left-handers yet who don't get a little miffed with those comments. Just teach them like normal.

 

I promise. It'll be okay. My dh (right-handed) freaked a bit, and I didn't get why. But even he sees that it's no big deal.

 

 

 

As a leftie of 2 out of 3 girls, I agree with everything you wrote. :001_smile:

[Wendy Inman]

I'm a righty and i had to figure out how to teach my left handed son.

 

I googled it and made sure to teach him the correct position from the very start. No problems, no smearing, etc. I never used a handwriting curriculum, i just taught him myself.

 

When i taught him cursive i got a cursive book for left handed people. The best part was that it was spiral bound at the top and the example letters were on the right. Light bulb! I never thought about how your hand covers the examples letters once he started writing the letter when we did regular worksheets. His cursive is pretty nice now but no slant. And i don't push it. Straight up and down is fine with me.

 

The scissors... i really thought there was something wrong with him and could not understand why he couldn't cut. One day in exasperation i was telling my husband (lefty) about it. He had to explain to me that the scissors are for right hand people.. and showed me the mechanics of why it's hard. Duhhh... i never thought about that. So we got him some lefty scissors. Worked wonders. Now as he's grown up (almost 11) he's picked up the regular scissors around the house enough times that he can use them pretty well. He goes for his own scissors only when he wants to be really precise.

 

As for notebooks...we have a few that are spiral bound at the top or composition, but for the most part we just use loose leaf and put them in binders.

 

Good luck!

[Mélie]

 

 

Now I'm curious, how many lefties use their left hand for the mouse? I always assumed everyone used the mouse on the right regardless of hand dominance.

 

My lefty uses his left hand for the mouse, but we have an Apple Magic Mouse, so it's not an issue at all. Before that, he used a trackpad with his left hand.

[hmvaughan4]

I use the mouse with my right. Actually, I only eat and write with my left hand, I use my right for everything else. DS uses his left to eat and write, but switches with everything else. My dad and brother do everything left handed.

[unfrumpable.]

Interesting about the mouse! I use my right hand and always have (started on the computer in '94). I do most everything else left handed though. My brother is a mostly lefty and my sister is a righty. I'm the oldest, she's the youngest, both parents righties.

[weederberries]

My lefty husband says that if your son or daughter are truly switching/ambidextrous, now is the time to encourage them to practice with the right hand. Don't force a true lefty, but if they can switch with equal results now, by all means, train them as a righty. He was never ambidextrous enough to be encouraged the other way, but his older brother was and learned to be a mainstream righty, much to his advantage. ;) Dh wishes he were a righty in this world, so encourages any who have the choice, to at least try to develop right handed skills.

[CupOCoffee]

I was ambidextrous until I went to first grade. In first grade, I would write with my left hand for a while, then my right. Eventually the teacher caught on and made me chose one hand for writing. I chose left; and I eat left handed. EVERYTHING else, I do right handed: cut, throw a baseball/catch with a glove, bowl, sew, bat...oh wait, I do cook left handed.

 

Both my students are righties; I didn't teach them any different. Others have already said as such. But I just wanted to reiterate that he should probably learn how to do a lot of things right handed -- it is a right handed world after all.

 

And I will leave you with: " if the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, then only left handed people are in their right minds". I had a shirt with that saying on it when I was a teen. :lol:

[Arcadia]

He was never ambidextrous enough to be encouraged the other way, but his older brother was and learned to be a mainstream righty, much to his advantage. ;)

 

 

It is better to stay ambidextrous if possible. I had a bad cut on my pointer finger in 2nd grade and had to do everything with only my left hand.

Also in the unfortunate event of a stroke, being ambidextrous has an advantage.

[Forgiven]

This is an interesting topic, and I now worry my poor DS (in 2nd grade now) may have been screwed up. :( His entire life, he showed a dominance toward his left hand, but he also used his right hand. In pre-school, his teachers would ask me which hand I wanted him to use, and I told them that I let him use whichever one he wants at the time. He'd color with his left, then switch to his right, then back to his left, etc. I didn't want to make him use a certain one.

 

Then he entered Kindergarten and he went to a private school. His teacher asked me the same question I always got from his pre-school, and from church as well. I answered the same. We don't force any one hand on him. If he uses his left, that's fine. If he uses his right, that's fine. She insisted that I had to make a choice. I wouldn't. So she--in her own decision--chose for him to use his right hand. I'm so mad at myself now for not sticking up for my kid. Ugh!

 

We're learning sign language now and he is left-hand dominant in it. I let him be. In sports, he's left dominant. In coloring, left dominant. But he can do things right handed too, and I wonder now if his writing with his right hand is why his writing is so messy! I'll have to see if he wants to try writing with his left hand...

 

Thanks for this post. I'm going to check out the many links people have posted for you.

[Walking-Iris]

Yeah I'm very anti forcing a kid to choose. When laying down a pencil or a crayon or fork with my babies and toddlers I tried to remember to lay it on top or present it to the midline so they could reach with whatever hand.

 

Honestly I'm of the opinion that left-handedness would be more common and accepted if it weren't for the pedagogical idea of forcing children to right-handedness.

 

Slowly but surely that idea is disappearing.

[In the Rain]

My dd is a lefty with very strong left handed dominance. All of the scissors in our house can be used by either hand. She has some true left handed scissors, but she doesn't prefer them over the other pairs. We have only encountered "right handed scissors" at places like Sunday school or VBS.

 

Teaching handwriting was easy enough. I let her cross her T's backwards from how I would, since it is easier to pull a line than to push a line, if that make sense. The greatest challenge is sharing the kitchen with a left handed person. :laugh: We each hold the pot handles with our dominant hand, which makes it awkward to cook together.

 

Oh yeah, she can use the mouse right handed.

 

FWIW, my dd is very proud of being left handed. She matches the stereotype of a creative left handed person. :001_smile: She likes to point out how many left handed presidents our country has had.

[Lady Florida.]

I'm a lefty. I echo the suggestions to get true left handed scissors. They will make a world of difference. Can we lefties cut with right handed scissors? Yes, but it's not the easiest thing to do, and there's no such thing as scissors for either hand. It's all about blade placement.

 

Handwriting Without Tears is probably the best handwriting program though I also disagree with one of her recommendations. She says you should not allow a lefty to cross T's (and A's and H's) from right to left. I say bullocks! It doesn't matter how they cross so let them do it in the way that's most comfortable. I also say if a lefty is more comfortable hooking, it should be allowed. Try to teach correct paper placement so it isn't necessary, but allow it if that's what they insist on.

[unfrumpable.]

I never even realized there was a "right" way to cross letters. After reading this, I discovered I cross from right to left. I'll have to watch my son and see how he does it.

[sbgrace]

I just let my left handed son do what's natural for him.That's what my left handed husband told me to do. He does cross right to left, but I didn't emphasize direction at all.

 

When he was learning to cut he was frustrated with "universal" scissors. He hated cutting and his papers were always a mess. I couldn't figure out why until my husband enlightened me. We bought left handed scissors and it made a world of difference. He doesn't generally have issues with traditional scissors at other places now. But it certainly decreased frustration while learning when we got him a left handed pair here. Unless you're teaching a child to cut with a right hand for some reason (and I wouldn't), I don't see the downside to having left handed scissors when learning and at home.

 

My son usually uses his left hand with the mouse. He can use his right, though, and isn't at all ambidextrous. My husband uses his right hand for his mouse and isn't ambidextrous either.

[Walking-Iris]

I still wouldn't say teach with left handed scissors as a matter of principle. Seriously it just all depends. I have never even seen a pair of left handed scissors, and neither has my children and they have no issues using scissors.

 

When I teach scissor skills I buy a pair of standard pair of fiskars scissors for kids and show them how to hold them and how to hold and manipulate their paper and then that's the end of that.

 

If a child was having real difficulty with any fine motor skills then I would get the different tools to help. But I wouldn't borrow trouble by assuming a child wouldn't use regular scissors.

 

I don't know why the pp said there's a recommendation in HWT about not crossing t's. I've used every grade of HWT with my child and it says clear as day in every book and in the HWT teacher guides that a left handed child may cross a t in the opposite direction. There's no advice to prevent it.

[LucyStoner]

I am left handed and aside from some smudge-y writing for a bit as a kid, it has never been an issue. A cheap little pencil grip helped my adjust. I also saw a handwriting specialist briefly at school for like 20 minute practice sessions. I can do most things with either hand and I am a switch hitter in softball/baseball but I have generally preferred my left to my right hand for writing and crochet/knitting. I've never cared about people commenting on my left handedness either. And I got a NEW baseball mitt because there are never any used lefty ones available. I was pretty proud of that new (now much used) mitt!

 

I married a lefty and we have 2 right handed sons. We were surprised.

 

My parents are both lefties who were FORCED to write with their right hands. My dad's handwriting is illegible (he still writes with his right.) My mom's handwriting was ok but she re-taught herself after she left school very young. My dad's left hand was whacked often by a few different nuns when he would try to use his left hand and at one point his arm was restrained. Ridiculous. I can't even imagine why people thought that was necessary. My mother was 11 years younger so not as harsh of methods but using her left hand was off limits at school.

 

We use a Mac so the mouse is reversible and I can use it either way. I have usually found lefty scissors to not be as good as right handed ones so we have mostly righty scissors. I've had a few lefty notebooks in my life but it's never been an issue when I didn't.

[Lisa in SC]

I only skimmed a few replies, so my apologies if I repeat advice. Tying shoes: I used 2 different colored laces. I think I used red and yellow, but it doesn't matter...just use 2 colors quite different from one another. This helps them understand the process easily. I'm a leftie btw.

 

Left handed scissors stink, IMO. I learned to cut with my right hand. Dd who is a leftie is very dominant in that hand so can't use her right hand to cut. She uses right handed scissors in her left hand, but holds them upside down so they cut properly. Ikea kitchen shears work equally well in both hands, so that's another option once they're old enough to use larger scissors.

 

Spiral notebooks: I don't understand why they're an issue. I use both sides of the page and so do my righties, so for all of us, the spirals are on the "wrong" side 50% of the time.

 

Slanting the paper the opposite way from what righties do almost always prevents the "hook." Pen does tend to want to end up on the pinkie if you don't hook (and we don't), but it washes right off.

 

For encouraging correct pencil grip, I use The Pencil Grip Ergonomic Writing Aid for both my right and left handed children. They also help prevent hand fatigue. I can't link, but that's what they're called, and I get them through Amazon. The kids love them and never lose their pencils now.

 

I have to run, so I don't have time for more suggestions. IMO, lefties are just the same as righties. I can bat either way, but typically pick leftie style because often amateur pitchers can't pitch well to lefties. Haha...it's just a way I have good natured fun. :D

[swellmomma]

Unless you go all old school and force them to use their right you will not ruin them. I am a rightie, 3 of my kids are too, the youngest is a lefty. I use the same books to teach penmanship and pencil grasp with her as with the other 3. I have the same scissors in the house etc. SHe actually has neater printing than both boys still do, and is clearly not ruined. Basically I never made a big deal out it. Okay so she uses her left hand, big whoop. The only thing I may do differently is when she becomes old enough to be using coil notebooks buy the left handed ones so she doesn't have a coil digging into her wrist.

[Homemama2]

HWT is great. As far as everything else, it kind of depends on the kid. One of my boys is a lefty but more ambidextrous. He was easily able to learn to throw a ball right-handed for example. He can bat either hand. But my other boy is totally 100% a lefty. We tried to teach him to do some of those things right-handed like we did for his brother. After about two years of being REALLY Bad at using scissors, throwing a ball where he was aiming etc. we finally tried teaching him with his left hand and, voila! He could do those things perfectly. So, not all lefties can learn to do everything right-handed. ;)

And that son also uses his left for the mouse, even if it means reaching across his body to do it.

[In the Rain]

About spiral notebooks...

 

My lefty dd loves the ones with spirals at the top. Otherwise, she uses notebooks from back to front, writing so that the spiral is not in her way.