To be angry at DP's comment about lefthandedness

[Skoggy]

We have recently started DD1 on using knife and fork for dinner. She is doing alright with it but keeps having a problem when starting the meal as to which utensil goes in what hand.

Personally, I'm of the frame of mind that she holds them in whatever hand is comfortable for her. She is 2½. DP insists, point blankly, that she holds them the way righthanded people do as, and I quote "The other way is the wrong way. She needs to learn how to do it properly". This made me stupidly angry because I am lefthanded.

Are there some people out there who still think that being a lefty is wrong?

YABU. She holds them in the correct hands now and learns the proper habits, not bad ones.

I know someone who had their left hand tied behind their back at school. Not in the uk and about 20 years ago. Crazy isn't it!

YANBU...my brother tried learning to write with his left hand before having it practically beaten out of him (slight hyperbole perhaps) at school with "Noooooo that's WRONG!!". As long as the person's comfortable where's the problem? I'm right-handed but hold my pen weird...people always pull me up on it, despite my rather neat hand-writing.

She needs to hold them the way that is right for her. YANBU.

Ask him why he gives a shit how she holds them as long as she's comfortable.

What a weird thing for him to worry about

I don't think I've ever noticed what hands people hold their knives and forks in to feed themselves

And if I ever start to worry about it, I think I'll shoot myself.

I'm mixed handed, write with my left mainly and do other stuff with my right. I still can't lay a table with the cutlery the right way round consistently. It has not been a problem in my life. Your DP is being really daft.

Is there anyway who is actually sad enough to care which way round somebody else holds their knife and fork? Some people need to find a hobby.

But why is right-handed correct? Why is left handed "bad habit"? Surely as long as food gets in the mouth and a mahoosive mess isn't the end result it doesn't really matter?

Annunziata who decides which is the correct hand for holding cutlery?

I'm right handed and hold it the left handed way.

What is the right way? The one which allows you to cut your food properly and feed it into your mouth or the one which has you being clumsy and spilling food on yourself for years?

Annunziata, I really hope you are joking.

Scarlet, I've always held my pen incorrectly and people always comment. Like you I don't know why they care as my handwriting is fine!

All the left handed people I know (myself included) eat while holding cutlery the normal way, I thought left handed people naturally held it that way/the other way is incorrect?

Euphemia - my sister is right-handed but eats with cutlery the "wrong" way round....

Depends. If she's Victorian go for the right handed setup. If not, go with whatever way is easiest for her.

I'm right handed but I use the fork in my right hand. It makes sense. You do the most fiddly things with your fork, so I think it's easiest if if goes in your favoured hand.

januarysunsetfire - how do you hold yours? Instead of holding it between thumb and index finger I hold it between thumb and middle finger...I always felt like if I held it "correctly" it was too unstable and wobbly....I'm a bit odd...

Anyone who thinks there is a correct way of using utensils is a bit of a twat tbh. Let your child eat the way that is easiest for her :)

Both me n my Dp are lefties so good chance dd will be too.

Does she have fork in right hand so knife in left so can cut food with more coordination. Or holds them in the "right" way but it looks a little kack handed??

Is your dp going to insist she writes the "proper" way, I would ask? (not in handedness but how she holds pen which can often be different to righties) .

She should transfer the fork to the right hand after chopping each piece and just use the right for forking things into the mouth. Anything else is just rude, wrong and "modern".

YABU.

YANBU... I'm left handed and I actually swap between which way around I use them depending on the meal, and how comfortable I feel.

No one has ever said anything, and I've attended quite a few v posh dinners so I really don't think it matters a jot.... Using the wrong wine glass for the wrong type of wine... Now that does matter