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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

You need to teach your child to use his right hand, otherwise he will have big problems when learning to write.

60 replies

justaphase · 27/02/2007 20:44

My ds is only 16 months so it is probably too early to draw conclusions but he seems to prefer his left hand when holding a spoon or a crayon or whatever.

I mentioned this to another mum and she reckons it is really important to teach a child to use one hand, preferably the right but could also be the left if there is strong preference. She said it was really bad to leave him to it as she has seen children really struggle too write and get completely confused about which hand they should be using.

Never heard of this before.... any opinions? All our family is right-handed so we have no experience of this at all but I was thinking of just letting him be to be honest.

OP posts:

Aloha · 27/02/2007 21:27

My ds is left handed. Tell her it is associated with genius - because it is

nulnulcat · 27/02/2007 21:39

im ambidextrous and never really think about which hand im using sometimes its my right sometimes its my left, do more stuff left handed though and dp gets mad in the kitchen coz everything is round the wrong way

never really caused me any problems remember when i learnt tennis i could not get the hang of backhand so i just swapped hands

biggest problem i have is i havent a clue which is left and right and am useless at directions cant give them and im always getting lost! have even gone the wrong way down one way street when i confused turn left turn right! oops!

dd is the same has no preference to left or right handedness and uses both quite happily

my mum keeps telling me i should discourage the left handedness as look at all the problems i have!! what??? apart from not knowing left and right nothing wrong here!

my purely right handed brother has awful handwriting but my left handed writing is a lot neater than my right handed writing

Troutpout · 27/02/2007 21:44

ds is left handed...always has been ..i noticed it at about 8 months
dd was undecided...used both but seemed to prefer her left up untill about 18 months..then suddenly switched to her right and is now completely right handed (she's 4)
Oddly, she's left-footed though
Both can write beautifully

suedonim · 27/02/2007 21:45

My dd's are both left-handed, though no one else in the family is. Neither of them have any problems with writing. Forcing children to be righthanded is such old-fashioned advice.

moondog · 27/02/2007 21:45

What a load of shit.
Tell her she's talking through her arse and that is official.

I am a leftie with no problems whatsoever.

TheBlonde · 27/02/2007 21:54

Agree with everyone else - leave your child to choose which hand they want to use

My DS is 2 and showing a clear LH preference. DH & I are RH but half my family favour the left.

Troutpout · 27/02/2007 21:58

lol moondog...
tell it how it is

exbury · 27/02/2007 22:04

as I read the OP, it was more that he should be taught to use a particular hand, rather than which hand it should be...

"leave him be" still stands, though!

nearlythree · 27/02/2007 22:07

My dd2 is left-handed and as we have no other lefties in the family I wondered if she's struggle with writing, using cutlery etc. and if there was anything we would need to do to help. Apparently not!

EmsTomot · 27/02/2007 22:22

I only use my left hand to write - I remember being in primary school and we were given a cutting out task to do from some magazines, I was given a left handed pair of scissors and couldn't use them. Instead of considering letting me try my right hand, they scolded me in front of the other children for being messy and told my parents I needed practice. It really hurt my feelings and I remember it to this day - just bear in mind that just because you write with your left hand, doesn't mean you do everything else with it.

nearlythree · 27/02/2007 22:24

My best friend at school wrote with his left hand but did everything else with his right, so I am aware of it.

Ceolas · 27/02/2007 22:27

This is such a Victorian attitude. Children used to be punished in school for using their left hands. My aunt developed a stutter after being forced to write with her right hand.

There are plenty of lefties in my family, all done well for themselves.

Let him be

EmsTomot · 27/02/2007 22:30

My dad actually had his left arm tied behind his back at school and had his knuckles rapped if he tried to use his left hand. He writes with his right now, because he learned how - his writing is beautiful but he says it still feels un-natural to him, only he has been doing it so long, he wouldn't go back to writing with his left - its as if that doesn't exist in his brain anymore because he was connditioned otherwise.

pinkchampagne · 27/02/2007 22:35

My DS2 is left handed. Don't know where it's come from, because I'm not aware of any other family members being left handed, but it has never bothered me.
He has no problems using his left hand & has recently started to write his name (he is not yet 4), which looks fine!
My right handed DS1 has lots of handwriting problems though.

At 16 months it is a little early to tell whether they will be right or left handed, but really, don't worry about it!

UCM · 27/02/2007 22:38

Er Hijack. Moondog, needed you earlier and your were not there. THanks

moondog · 27/02/2007 22:39

Where was that then UCM??

UCM · 27/02/2007 22:39

Soz, got so excited about finding moondog, that I forgot.

I am left handed and have lovely writing in several different styles. I can also sketch, draw and am quite arty.

UCM · 27/02/2007 22:39

Twas a food thingy but I needed you, cos I just lurve you on them things

UCM · 27/02/2007 22:40

I couldn't even post I just waited for you. You didn't turn up

UCM · 27/02/2007 22:40

Ang on will link

moondog · 27/02/2007 22:41

Aaah,UCM,am back in the world of work sadly.
Less time to be holier than thou on MN these days.

UCM · 27/02/2007 22:43

No No please don't

here

Do you know that because of some of your comments I have become a bit of a pariah with my friend. I don't wish to eat anything even a fishfinger/vagina anymore and will only eat what I have cooked.

UCM · 27/02/2007 22:44

That should have read friends, I have more than one. Honest.

Oh bollox. Whatever, they all think I am mad

moondog · 27/02/2007 22:47

Good on yer UCM.
I think we should all seriously question the shit that is aimed at us. We all deserve better.
Will read thread now.

moondog · 27/02/2007 22:54

Lordy.What a barking thread!

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