Okay for the first time in the family, Sean is left-handed. All of us are right-handed. I really don’t know what to do about it as Sean’s find that he’s more comfortable using his left hand to right.
Nobody in my family or hubby’s side of family that are left-handed. Do you have any advice? Or do you have the same experience as I am now? What do you do about it?
We do encourage Sean to use right hand to write, even my dad is saying so. But he doesn’t want. Well, he can also write with his right hand but mostly using only left hand. I think most difficult part would be if he’s schooling time how am I going to teach him to write with his left hand if he only use left hand to write.
I can write a bit with my left hand too but I am so use to write with right hand I just keep using right hand only.
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Please stop trying to get him to write right handed. You’ll just end up with him either resenting you or having self esteem issues. I’d suggest instead focusing on a few other life skills instead: like the day to day tools that are made for right hand use. Teach him how to use them right handed with the understanding so that he won’t hurt himself. Writing though is just such a personal thing. What will happen in the future when he sees other students in his classes writing happily and beautifully left handed while he’s feeling like he has to write right handed to be a good boy for his family?
BTW, I’m left handed. My grandmother would have been if she hadn’t been forced to be right handed in the bad old days.
Let him use the hand he is most comfortable with. You can try handing him the things he needs, like eating utensils, toothbrush, whatever. Hand them to his right hand, and see what he does. It won’t hurt him to be able to use both hands for things.
One thing to be sure he does when he is learning to write is to turn the paper the opposite way from the way a right-handed person does. I see too many left-handed people with their paper turned to the left and writing in that uncomfortable upside-down way. I’m left-handed. I turn my paper almost completely to the right, and it’s much more natural that way.
The biggest problem with writing left-handed? Ink smears on your hand because your hand is where you’ve already written. It will be OK. Just teach him to form the letter the same way you learned - the strokes are all the same.
Sarah and Anna, you are right, it’s best to let Sean use which hand that he prefer to use and write. I have seen that he tried to use his right hand but its only for a while then he prefer to use his left hand to write.
sean is using his left hand because that means his right side of the brain is the dominant part, not the usual left side. let him be.
I agree with everyone else. People used to try and reform lefties, but now we understand that people should be left alone to develop without intervention. It is a matter of which side of his brain is dominant. My hubby is left handed, and I suspect my son will be too. Let him do what seems best for him, and enjoy learning about him!
Just don’t force it. There are stories and stories of when I grew up about parents forcing the “right-handed” way upon their kids. Believe me, it caused a lot of problems. Luckily now today there are so many products that are made for left-handed people. (thinking of the Simpsons and Ned Flander’s “Left Handed Store”)
desperateblogger, thanks I am still looking whether he’s really a left handed.
soap sushi and lala thank you for leaving comment. I will let Sean to do what he likes, I think it’s okay if he loves using his left hand. Left handed products I do see some in the store sometimes ago.
Please, please, please let him feel it out for himself. I am a left-hander in a right-handed world. Growing up in the 70’s they would really try to “teach” us to write with the right hand. The teacher even duct-taped my left to the desk forcing me to scribble with my right. It’s not really something that can be taught, it’s just one of those things that just is. Don’t worry too much about teaching him because you’re right-handed, it really isn’t that different. The paper just has to slant in the different direction. He’ll get used to the graphite on the side of his hand and learn not to use erasable ink.
hi Lea, OMG I didn’t know that at all. Did you told your parents about it that the teacher used duct taped?
Oh yeah! My mom saw the red marks on my wrist and flipped when I told her. The “conversion” ended there.
I think if this happened to me I think my mom will surely find the teacher.
[...] have no intention of forcing Sean to be right handed or left handed. Although we are right handed, we feel that it is better for Sean to choose which ever he prefers. I cannot remember my childhood [...]