Happy Lefthanders Day!

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It’s finally here, that special day when the small percentage of us folks can celebrate the fact that we’re different from the rest (and not be burnt at the stake for it. lol)

It’s August 13th National Lefthanders Day!

2lefties

I’m happy to be sharing this special day with you all.
It’s a fun way to make folks aware that we’re all human regardless what hand we write with.

b0118…b0105…chef

In honor of the day, I’m sharing my story:

I’m a Cross Dominant Leftie, with Right Hand tendencies!
(Sounds almost naughty, Doesn’t it? lol 😉 )

In the early part of my life, I hadn’t met more than a few left-handed people. Back then, not many folks would admit it openly. It carried a stigma and some folks thought it was a shame or we was somehow lesser than the average right-handed human. Happily in the last few dozen years, I’ve met many lefties and we’re just ‘proud as peaches’ to be lefties.

As a child, I was Ambidextrous  and was quite efficient with using both my hands equally. As I grew up, I became what is known as Cross Dominant and adjusted to being able to use my right hand for most everything except for writing.

I remember seeing some of my classmates brow beat, embarrassed and punished into using their right hands. I recall there was even a condescending little ditty the teachers sang over them to embarrass them, they also encouraged the right-handed students to sing it with them. I’ve heard many sad stories from folks and I also remember my parents telling stories about children being physically forced into learning to be right-handed.

My Dad was very firm in his beliefs and he was not a man to be trifled with. There wasn’t a Schoolmaster nor Schoolmarm nor Principle nor Teacher that would have dared tried to change my writing hand. Thanks to my Dad, I was never subjected to the cruel ditty nor did I ever catch any flack about being left-handed  … although I thought I did once…

When I was in first grade, I was sitting at my desk, doing my Math and my left hand grew tired of making the amounts of dots to match the numbers 1-10, so I switched to my right hand.
The next thing I knew my teacher had called in the second grade teacher. They both hovered around me saying things that I couldn’t understand and spoke about my switching hands and then called me ambidextrous.

I didn’t understand the word. They scared me to death. I thought I had done something bad and was in trouble. And like any normal frightened little 6-year-old girl, I began to cry. I thought they were talking ugly about me.

Thankfully I was literally saved by the bell, the last bell of the day. The second grade teacher left to go to her class and my teacher got busy helping everyone line up to go to the buses.

I managed to get my things, go get on the bus and I whimpered all the way home. I was confused and felt so ashamed. I had apparently done something wrong. I was terrified they would paddle me for it the next school day. I tried to hide my tears, but after I got to the safety of my home and parents I fell apart. My parents immediately wanted to know why I was crying and if anyone had hurt me.

Through storms of tears, I told Mom and Dad how the teachers had acted. I couldn’t remember the big word they had called me. I tried to say it but it was too big for my little memory.
So, Mom and Dad asked me what I was doing when the teachers came up to me.
I explained about doing my Math and my left hand getting tired and switching to my right hand.
Dad and Mom both smiled and explained to me that the teachers had called me an ambidextrous and it was a good thing to be and they explained why.
Of course I felt instantly better and special too.
thup

Here’s wishing you all a wonderful day
regardless of what your dominant hand is.
rightleft

Repost from 8-13-2014

16 thoughts on “Happy Lefthanders Day!”

  1. Aw, isn’t it a shame what left-handed children had to endure in those days? I’m glad your mom and dad helped you feel better when you got home: aren’t you glad you confided in them? It just so happens that I’m having lunch today with a left-handed friend! She’s the one to taught me to make my own greeting cards, using rubber stamps. 2 weeks ago, she had a stamping workshop at her house, and I’m meeting her to pick up my order. I’ll be sure to wish her a Happy Lefthander’s Day. And the same to you!

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    • Thanks so much Dianna
      I miss having my parents around to confide in. You never get to old to miss your parents. I’m thankful they didn’t go for forcing a child to be ‘right-handed’ and I was able to be my ownself.
      Stamping sounds like a relaxing craft. I bet you make some gorgeous cards and things with it, I hope you and your friend had an enjoyable lunch and a fun visit.
      I hope you both had a Happy Lefthander’s Day! 🙂

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  3. Happy lefthanders day to you my friend! I am a righty, but my mom is a leftie. My youngest niece (just turned six) is currently ambidextrous; she will write part way across the oaper with one hand then switch hands to finish up. Her parents don’t push her one way or they other, they just let her do what works for her. My sister was concerned the school might try to force her to only use her right hand (yep, that still happens today though not as much as it used to thank goodness!) but thankfully so far it has not been an issue. Little one starts forst grade in a few more days so we are all hoping for a good school year for her. (Her kindergarten experience was awful, her teacher was a nasty old woman who picked on her for other things and she was constantly getting detention and even has a demerit to her name. Shameful how schools punish children for the tiniest things!)

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    • Thanks CW,
      I’m glad your niece is being allowed to make her own handed choices. I hope she continues to be an ambidextrous, but I figure she’ll be cross-dominate handed which ever hand she favors. I get so mad when I hear of a child being forced to be ‘right’ handed. In our day-and-age that is just wrong.
      My son had a nasty-natured second grade teacher. I made many a visit to the school because of her. Thankfully the principle knew me and my family, he was a kind natured fellow. He would intervine in my son’s favor every time. Guess what, that old broad wasn’t employed at that school much longer after that year.
      I wish a good year for the little one. A good teacher can make a huge difference in how she’ll view the next few years of school.
      I hope your family had a Happy Lefthander’s Day! 🙂

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  4. I am also ambidextrous. When I started school, the teacher told me, in a nice way, to hold the pencil in my right hand. I just figured it was one of the rules of being in school. My niece is a lefty and it is more accepted now. Have a happy day 🙂

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    • Thanks Laura
      That’s awesome that you’re ambidextrous. Being able to inter-change between hands makes crafting and life so much easier.
      You’re lucky to have had such a sweet natured teacher. I wonder how she’d reacted if you chose to continue being a leftie.
      I’m glad your niece is a happy leftie too, it’s wonderful that being left handed is more acceptable.
      I hope your family had a Happy Lefthander’s Day! 🙂

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  5. Happy belated leftie day! I am lucky to be the left handed daughter of a left handed mother. No one was messing with my left-handed-ness. I think they tried with her, but her parents put a stop to it. There are lots of lefties in my extended family – at the holidays, we all sat in a row on one side of the table so elbows behaved. It amazes me how right hand centric the world is, and that right-handed people don’t even realize it…

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    • Thanks Salpal
      Wow, you’ve certainly got a strong lineage of lefties. That’s awesome. I love the table setting idea. That’s so neat.
      Parents are the strongest support for a child. Your Mother is a true blessing. Like me, You’re a lucky leftie too.
      I agree, it’s kind of interesting how some righties don’t realize how hand-centric the world is until someone they’re close too, their baby or their new love turns out to be a leftie.
      I hope your family had a Happy Lefthander’s Day! 🙂

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    • Hi Labellestudio
      Interesting. I hadn’t considered that. I think you may be on to something there. That makes sense to me. Thanks for the food for thought. 🙂

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