Richard opening up his birthday presents. No seriously, can you help me figure it out. As my youngest son was getting ready to start kindergarten, we would sit down to practice writing. I could never guess which hand he would use.
You can see the dollar signs in his father’s eyes when he throws a baseball with his left hand. “Left handed pitchers make more money.” My usual reaction to those adult profession fantasies is to remind everyone that my son could choose to be an athlete, or a poet! Most likely, he will do A/C repair.
The reality is — I am weirded out. I am weirded out by left handed people. I blame my Catholic school upbringing. The Bible says the left hand… there’s something in there about something that relates to writing with the left hand …. something something sins committed with the left hand …. blah blah blah being left handed is bad… I need to brush up on Leviticus. I can’t give you the exact quote, but I do know that writing with your left hand is bad in the eyes of God!
Then I married into a family where left-handedness runs rampant. Richard’s grandfather was born left-handed, but was forced to write with his right hand thanks to the good nuns at HIS Catholic school. By the time my husband was in Catholic school, the church had more progressive policies on left-handedness, so his brother was deemed OK to write with his left hand. And apparently, limbo doesn’t exist anymore! (Note: I belonged to a more conservative Diocese, so this information about left-hands being OK and limbo no longer existing was news to me.) Our nephew is left handed, that’s why his handwriting is so bad he says.
And now I am faced with the potential of having my own left-handed child. Should I start a support group? Read witty lists about the benefits of being left handed.? Cut out funny little comics about left-handed tropes and place them on the fridge? Start shopping at the Leftorium?
I talked with an occupational therapist, who said kids aren’t official right or left dominant until they are 6. Richard just turned 5, so there is still time for him to decide (Or for me to mold, a la old Catholic school nun)
I can see the benefits of being ambidextrous - especially when he undoubtedly breaks a hand. But being left-handed? … I am sure I can come to terms with it.
Happy Birthday Richard!
You can see the dollar signs in his father’s eyes when he throws a baseball with his left hand. “Left handed pitchers make more money.” My usual reaction to those adult profession fantasies is to remind everyone that my son could choose to be an athlete, or a poet! Most likely, he will do A/C repair.
The reality is — I am weirded out. I am weirded out by left handed people. I blame my Catholic school upbringing. The Bible says the left hand… there’s something in there about something that relates to writing with the left hand …. something something sins committed with the left hand …. blah blah blah being left handed is bad… I need to brush up on Leviticus. I can’t give you the exact quote, but I do know that writing with your left hand is bad in the eyes of God!
Then I married into a family where left-handedness runs rampant. Richard’s grandfather was born left-handed, but was forced to write with his right hand thanks to the good nuns at HIS Catholic school. By the time my husband was in Catholic school, the church had more progressive policies on left-handedness, so his brother was deemed OK to write with his left hand. And apparently, limbo doesn’t exist anymore! (Note: I belonged to a more conservative Diocese, so this information about left-hands being OK and limbo no longer existing was news to me.) Our nephew is left handed, that’s why his handwriting is so bad he says.
And now I am faced with the potential of having my own left-handed child. Should I start a support group? Read witty lists about the benefits of being left handed.? Cut out funny little comics about left-handed tropes and place them on the fridge? Start shopping at the Leftorium?
I talked with an occupational therapist, who said kids aren’t official right or left dominant until they are 6. Richard just turned 5, so there is still time for him to decide (Or for me to mold, a la old Catholic school nun)
I can see the benefits of being ambidextrous - especially when he undoubtedly breaks a hand. But being left-handed? … I am sure I can come to terms with it.
Happy Birthday Richard!