I have become increasingly aware of my left-handedness since having children.
Not that being a lefty hasn’t been a challenge for the past 35 years.
I’ve had to constantly adjust to living in a right-handed world. Simple things like driving a stick shift and setting up a work station can be difficult at first. But, like most lefties, I simply adapt. I really don’t have much choice.
Growing up, I don’t remember a whole lot of people accommodating my left-handedness. Most of the people around me were right-handed.
Now that I think of it, my back issues probably stem from all that twisting I had to do for years in class so I could write in those right-handed desks.
I think of these things now because I am the mother of a righty and a lefty.
It’s an interesting experience, especially when I’m trying to teach my right-handed child to do things like swing a bat or tie his shoes. I teach him how I do it, and then I show him how he can do the same thing as a righty. Or, sometimes I show him while standing opposite him so he can mirror what I am doing. It has worked so far, though I noticed that he’s picked up some left-handed tendencies. (He ties his shoes like a lefty. Go figure.)
My little lefty, on the other hand, is a challenge because I find that I am already correcting people when they put things like crayons and spoons in his right hand. He’s a lefty, I tell them.
That’s when I become painfully aware that he’s going to have all the annoyances that I have had growing up.
While I certainly embrace my left-handedness, it can also be a nuisance. So, in honor of my two year old lefty, here are 5 advantages of being a lefty from Anything Left Handed:
- Being left handed is an advantage in many sports.
- Lefties have a greater chance of being a genius– or having a high IQ.
- Left handed men may make more money. (Unfortunately, left-handed women don’t have the same advantage.)
- Lefties are better able to multitask.
- Left-handed people are likely to be more visual than language-based, making them ideal for artistic pursuits.
With two righties and two lefties in the house (my hubby is a righty), I think both kids are pretty well accommodated.
I have to think that there is some sort of advantage to growing up with that balance in your household.
