If you have (had) a left-handed child, will you (did you) try to switch him/her?

Question

I am asking just out of curiousity.

My mother is left-handed. She is asian and was born in the late 50s. Her mother tried so hard to switch her but wasn't successful. She told me it caused my mother to stammer.

One of my mother's sister's daughter was also born left-handed and my mother's sister forced her to write with her right hand and was successful.

If I have a left-handed child, I will try to switch him/her. My mother wasn't too happy when she knew that and told me it is wrong. I thought it is the right thing to do? I am half asian half white & I can't believe she said that as asians are known for switching left-handed kids.

Answer 1

my mother and daughter are left-handed, and there is no reason to try and change it, since there is nothing wrong with it.
It is simply the way they use their hands.What if when you were a child you did something differently, like really minute. How would you feel if your mom tried to force you? That is completely ridiculous and wrong. What is the big deal anyway?

Answer 2

Children are not born with handedness. It is something that develops as in the first few months of life.

I would absolutely never try to force a child to switch his handed-ness. I write with my left hand and do many other things with my right hand. Being left-handed may actually be a positive thing. Look up information about the intelligence of left-handed people and look up "famous left-handed people throughout history".

I can't even figure out why on Earth someone would see left-handedness as a problem!

I don't mean to sound immodest, but I've always thought about the fact that my right hand/arm are my strongest; and the left hand and arm are kind of weaker, are good for writing (I can write mirror-image the way Leonardo DaVinci could, which is kind of neat for the people who can do that - my right-handed daughter can do it too, though.) I've always kind of imagined how maybe that's the perfect way to be - if you use your stronger hand and arm for doing all kinds of tasks and work there's the chance it could become injured. I've always thought how wonderfully designed I was to have the left hand reserved pretty much just for writing and sometimes using a fork! :)

I've always enjoyed being the only one in my family (except for one cousin) who is left-handed. It has been part of my identity in some small way. I even kind of like trying to make sure I get a certain seat at a table in order not to clunk elbows with someone else. Its part of what I am (a small part, yes, but still a part).

It is never right to try to change some very fundamental thing about one's own child, and these days it is generally understood that left-handedness may actually mean the child is superior in some intellectual matters. People in the 1600's thought the people who ate contaminated rye crop and had convulsions and hallucinations were witches!! People used to think women shouldn't vote! People used to think being left-handed meant someone was evil or possessed!!

As someone with grown children, I can tell you that even if left-handedness weren't a good thing it certainly is not something to harrass your child over; because between now and the time he grows up there will be a whole lot more important matters that his mother/father ought to address.

Do some research on left-handedness because you obviously don't understand how ok it is. And I don't mean to be lecturing, but think about all the parents in the world who have starving or sick children to be worried about and then think about the fact that you think you should be worried about teaching your little boy to switch hands. Wouldn't it be funny if five years from now some study is done that shows that left-handedness means a person is superior....

Answer 3

I know many left handed people and they are absolutely fine. Your mother probably stammers because her mother tried to force her to use her other hand and that isn't the hand that nature intended her to write with. What does it matter whether a child writes with his left or right hand. The only difference between a right handed person and a left handed person is that the right handed person uses the left side of the brain more and the opposite is true for the lefty. My cousin is a lefty and she is a doctor. My son is a lefty and he is absolutely fine. Let your child use what ever hand that is dominant. By the way have you ever thought about having your child learn to write with both hands. My younger brother does this and he is A-OK

Answer 4

A child will grab with the hand closest to the object. I have watched this closely in my one daughter. When an object was equally close with either hand she reached with her left, I believe she is left handed by nature. As a teeny baby I encouraged the right hand but didn't discourage the left, if you can catch what I mean, if she picked it up with her left I let it be. I offered spoons, writing things whatever to her right side, away from the left no decision for her to make, reach with the closest. She is very capable of using both, but predominately right, and an honor student so I don't see that there was any damage done.

Answer 5

Do not try to switch. I am left-handed and my parents never tried to switch me, but my teacher in first grade did. She was not successful, but I resented her for that. How would you feel if somebody forced you to use your left hand instead of your right hand.
We do not live in the Inquisition time, so just let it be.
Plus, left-handed people are smarter- when I was in school, in my PhD classes, about 40% of the people were lefties, and I think only 8-10% of the general population are

Answer 6

you know it really doesnt matter all that much these days whether your child is left or right handed. My sister is left handed & has very gracefull writing. My Dad is a lefty too, way back when he was in school, the teachers tried to switch him & in doing that gave him no confidence in the way he writes. My partner writes left handed, yet plays bowls & golf right handed & also writes things up in front of him (like a message board) with his right hand.
My daughter (when she was about 3) used her left hand but eventually switched herself without any prompting. I am curious why you have an issue with what hand your child writes with? Its a very old school way of thinking & truely holds absolutely no bearing on their academics. If your child is able to read, write & be socially well adjusted I dont see why it matters. Please dont take offense to my answer, I am just honesty surprised!

Answer 7

You shouldn't try to make your child write with a hand that they are not made to write with. I am not left handed but I believe that a left handed person will write with as comfort and ease as a right handed person. Of course your can teach your child to write with their left hand but why would you want to do that? There are so many other important things in life than with what hand they write with. I don't care what your heritage believes, it is wrong and you are wrong.

Also i saw your answers profile. Why don't you try answering some questions instead of asking stupid ones. And yes there is a such thing as a stupid question, especially when you ask ignorant ones.

Answer 8

I've heard trying to switch a child is a dangerous thing to do and can cause many, many problems for the kid. Why would you want to switch the kid anyway? Beyond handwriting in first grade, there's no stigma attached to being left-handed. Kids have a hard enough time learning to read and write without being forced to do it in a way that is counter-intuitive to them.

Answer 9

Don't do it!!!! Love and appreciate your child for his/her uniqueness. I'm all asian and my dad is left-handed. They tried switching him when he was younger and so now he writes with his right hand and does everything else with his left. Really, they make things specially for left-handed people now. It's not that big a deal.

Answer 10

My Grandmother was forced to switch when she was 10 because she always got into major trouble from her teacher becasue she kept smudging the page she was writing on. It was sucessful but it was a painful process that lasted for over two years. She has switched back to being left haned now. I am left handed and I wasn't made to switch. I use pens which are specifically for left handers to make their lives easier.