If you noticed that your child picked up a crayon with his left-hand rather than right, what would you do?

Question

If it was like the first time you saw him try to write, would you put the crayon in his right-hand instead, or would you let him go through life as a leftie, without trying to change it?

Answer 1

Don't try to change it. My mother did that with my brother way back in the day. He is 41 now and still tells my Mom he wished she hadn't done that. My 12 year old daughter is left handed. However, with everyone else in our house being right handed, she grew up imitating a lot of our right handed "behavior", such as cutting our food, etc. When I first noticed the chance of her being left handed, I observed her closely as she sometimes sat and drew with both hands at the same time. I saw that her strokes and shapes were stronger and better with the left hand.
To be left handed is not a handicap. Many famous and successful people are left handed (eg Einstein, Clinton)
Let your child be who he is, he'll be alright.

Answer 2

If I noticed my child picked up a crayon with his left hand rather than his right I wouldn't do a thing except to be proud that he's a leftie like his old man! (Well, I'd make sure he didn't write on the wall, but other than that, the kid's aces!!!!)

Answer 3

The only thing that would accomplish is to frustrate the child. Handedness is in the brain and is not a learned behavior. I am not a lefty, but what's so terrible about being a left handed person? It's not the 30s any more, we are now able to purchase left handed scissors and other life accessories.
You can teach him to be ambidextrous, to use both hands. That is also in the brain, to be able to use both hands equally and is rare. Trying to change your child will make him think that his natural instinct to write left handed is wrong, and therefore something wrong with him, because he can't help the urge.
Here is a great website to help you.

Answer 4

I would let him try to write with the left hand. There isn't anything wrong with left handed people. Studies show they tend to be more creative than right-handed people anyway. I think it is morally repugnant to try and force someone to write right-handed when they are not. I would have been left handed, except I had a teacher that thought lefties were "evil" and slapped my hand with a ruler every time I used it. Childhood was very hard for me. I'm ambidextrous now, but use my right hand for writing out of habit from those horrible school days. Don't torture your child, let them be!

Answer 5

I would give him a piece of paper before he put the crayon in his mouth.

A lefty will be a lefty no matter what you do. My uncle had his hand hit with a ruler in parochial school everytime he used his left and and he is still a lefty. Just enjoy your child who thinks with his right brain rather than his left - and is most likely quite creative.

Answer 6

Lefties are said to be more intelligent and more creative individuals, just think how hard it is to survive on a right handed planet. Small kids scribble with either hand for a while. If consistently using his left hand thats great, let him be. I´m a lefty and when in school, we got special attention from everyone. Everyone is intrigued by lefties...let him be special in this.

Answer 7

I started out as a leftie. It was not cool to be a leftie back then, so my mom forced me to be a rightie. At the time, I really hated her for it because it was so hard to fight what felt natural. That being typed, now I am grateful that she made me a rightie cause it's a rightie world out there. I don't think I would put my child through that these days. There's not a social stigma anymore and we know it isn't a bad thing, just a different thing.

Answer 8

let him color.

being left or right handed has nothing to do with your hands. It is determined by which side of the brain is more dominant. I write with my left hand but throw a ball with my right. This is called split dominance. The best thing to do is let the child figure out what works for them. My son couldn't decide for sure until he started writing. Most times it will work itself out. I've known 1 or 2 lefty's whose parents decided they should be righty's, the results were a very uncomfortable writing style with the wrist bent back towards the forearm. hold a pencil like you were going to write, now try to touch the tip of your pencil to your arm. they both said it was difficult to write for any period of time.

The short and skinny is let em be. They'll figure it out just like people have always done.

Answer 9

I'd leave him alone. It's possible that he doesn't know which hand is dominant yet, or he may be amadexterous(uses both hands equally). Even if he is a leftie, it's genetic, so you can't change it. And with things like left-handed guitars, he wouldn't be hindered in any way--possibly even helped. Lefties are known for being more creative. And there are college scholarships for left-handed students...

Answer 10

My 3 year old has always used his left hand to write. I've never discouraged it. My husband is left handed, as are many members of my family. (I'm not) There is nothing wrong with being left handed. It was a stigma back in the dark age, but it's the year 2006 now and all those theory's have been disproved. Let your kids be who they are. Don't change them.

Answer 11

Whether or not you're a leftie is not by choice. In fact in olden days they forced lefties to be righties. Let him do what works for him. If it's the first time maybe he just doesn't know which hand works better yet. Don't worry about it. Lefties are just as capable as Righties