The Left-Handers’ Struggles – Would You Make Your Child Change Hands?

Whilst right-handed people have enjoyed all the conveniences of modern inventions, left-handers may not enjoy them in the same way. In conjunction with International Left-handers Day, we want to highlight some of the everyday struggles that left-handers face that right-handers probably never realised.

Or maybe we do? That explains why many parents who observed their children who have a left-handed tendency have tried to encourage or even force a change of hands. In the past, some cultures even considered left-handers to be weak and carry bad omen. This kind of belief, obviously, is just a myth.

There is no definitive science or explanation as to how we turn out being right or left-handed. But generally, most people, particularly right-handers, would just prefer their child to be on the 90% majority side to be right-handed.

Would You Make Your Child Switch Hands?

What about you? If your child is naturally left-handed, would you interfere and change them to be right-handed? Personally, I was guilty of this. My first-born showed tendency of being a left-hander and I actively encouraged him to switch hands! When my second son came along, he too used his left hand as the dominant hand. This time, I did not do the same. I let him develop the way he felt most natural and he ended up becoming the leftie of the family.

Since I have a leftie at home, I’m a little more sympathetic to the plights of left-handers that we otherwise wouldn’t even notice. Let’s take a closer look at their world—the difficulties faced where all things are created for right-handers.

A Left-hander’s Practical Difficulties

If you have a left-handed child, who seems clumsy at doing what we deem as simple tasks, be patient. It’s not as easy as we think being on the “wrong” side of inventions made for right-handers.

Here are some tools that lefties need to make adjustments to use in ways we never have to struggle through.

• Scissors – the grip of the scissors and the view of the blades cutting direction makes it harder for a leftie to cut

• Can openers – it’s simply awkward to be operated on the other side

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• Chairs with attached desk – don’t you wonder how uncomfortable this kind of seating arrangement is for a left-hander?

  

• Rulers – left-handers can’t use one as straightforward as the rest of us

  

• Pencil sharpeners – a leftie may have to use a sharpener backwards to turn the handle

  

• Computer keyboard – with the number keyboard on the right side…

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• Measuring cup – if you hold the handle of a measuring cup with your left hand, you can’t see the measurements as they are facing the other side!

  

• Peelers – a left-hander needs to peel towards the outer direction, away from the body

• Violin – a leftie needs a left-handed violin, or else they need to play with their right hand

  

These are probably not the end of the list of inconveniences for left-handers. Some tools that we have taken for granted could even pose as danger for them to use, like serrated knives and circular saws. Most left-handers just learn to adapt and make the best use of them. We could learn to be more tolerant and adaptive like left-handers.

Celebrating International Left-Hander Day

Understanding some of the everyday challenges that our left-hander friends and family members face, here’s a chance for us to tell them how proud we are of them. Motherhood.com.my wants to reach out to celebrate and honour all left-handers out there.

May we continue to help raise awareness of the issues they face, and perhaps people could start to design and invent objects with left-handers in mind, and have more neutral usage of them. What do you say?

For parents who would like to guide their left-handed children, here’s further support resources you can check out to see how you can ease some of their activities.

For more interesting stories and fun recipes, stay tuned to Motherhood Story!