I am so far behind on catching our blog up to date that I have just decided to blog events, thoughts, etc that I feel will be a topic of curiousity or conversation when we look back on raising our kids. With this idea in mind, it hit me...one day, Andrew is going to ask WHEN we knew he was a "lefty?"
Ben has grown up a lefty in a right handed world and I have an Aunt who is also a lefty, so we always wondered if our kids were more prone to being left-handed. With Caroline, Ben would always tease that he was going to ensure she was a lefty. He would give her crayons, forks, etc. in her left hand. Of course, most the time she would just switch the item back to her right hand, and I would *smirk at Ben! I can recall asking the Pediatrician many times, at what age or when can you tell what hand is the dominant hand. I was told by age 2, it is pretty much determined. At age 2, Caroline was declared RIGHT handed and joined my team!
Now the home advanatage was secure with 2 girls vs 1 boy and 2 right-handed vs 1 lefty. A few months after this declaration, Andrew came along. He was probably 8-9 months old when we started noticing that he used both hands more than Caroline ever did. But we also noticed that he sucked the fingers on his right hand, leaving his left hand open to grab his blanket, hold a toy, etc. By age 1, we started seeing more of a tendency for him to choose his right hand over his left. At first I thought it was just part of learning and exploring, but later it became more intentional. Right around his first birthday is when we started having him color at the table. If you gave him a crayon in his right hand, he would move it to his left. I also noted that when I was trying to teach him to feed himself, he would always switch the spoon to his left hand. Strange, I thought. Of course, I remembered what the Pediatrician had said when Caroline was young.
Well, now that Andrew is two is it without a doubt obvious that the girls no longer hold a home field advantage. Our house is officially divided 2 girls/2 boys, 2 right/2 LEFT! Ben has told me all about being left handed growing up in a right handed world. To be honest, I never really put much thought into the issue. I have since learned that statistically, it is beleived that only 11% of the world's population is left handed. Wow, I guess it would be hard to adapt... given that we, right handed folks, dominate the world and the ergonomics of life. I guess I am blessed and feeling much more confident, knowing that Andrew has Ben to guide him through the challenges he has ahead of him.
Ben's tips for Andrew so far include:
- Make sure we find him a left handed teacher for preschool (check)
Caroline's 3 yr old teacher, Ms Ginger is left handed - we'll definitely request her
-Make sure Andrew learns to play the guitar right handed or else he will have to always re-string a guitar in order to play it (check)
Ben can be his personal instructor
-Build up a strong left arm and practice pitching everyday.
Left handed pitchers are in demand in MLB :)
