Meet Lefty-Brained ... and answer some questions

I just verified tonight, at least I think I did, that my 4 1/2-year-old daughter is a southpaw.

You'd think we would have known sooner, but she's always used both hands almost interchangeably - eating, drawing, writing, throwing, batting.

It came up tonight while looking at baseball gloves. She said her stronger arm was her left, so after a few warm-up throws inside the store, I bought her a glove for the right. It's pink with blue trim.

Questions:

1. Any lefties out there with advice on growing up lefty? While I won't insist she use one hand over the other, should I be shopping for those green scissors? I'm not trying to treat this like she has some drastic affliction, but I am trying to be thoughtful.

2. The glove is a Wilson for 5 year olds. A lot nicer than the gloves for younger kids. Should I oil it and tie it up with the ball (soft t-ball) in it? She can close it pretty well but I'm not sure how the oil would stain the blue and pink. Girls are sensitive about that type of stuff.

We had our first real catch tonight. She didn't want to take the glove off.

Last question: Who did you first play catch with? Do you remember it? My first catch was with my mom. Dad didn't understand the game too well.

 

Whatever you do, don't let her open a store geared strictly for lefties in a mall. And, do not validate parking if she does decide to open such a store.

Seriously though, use that foam on the glove. It should keep the pocket purty.

 

Don't let teachers try to teach her to write like a right hander. My teachers understood pretty early that I was a lefty so I write like a normal person, but when a teacher doesn't know how to teach a lefty how to write, they end up doing that upside down writing thing where they're writing their letters backwards because the teacher can't teach them.

Most teachers are learning, but just make sure they're teaching her correctly when she's learning to write.

 

Who do you think she is, Ned Flanders?

 

No. I do not remember the first time I played catch.

 

Holy shit, pup, thank you very much - you may have just solved a puzzle for me.

Lttle lefty is already writing (with both hands). She's not spelling much, but she's writing. She's been writing her S's and G's, among others, backwards. We haven't said much about it, but you may have just helped me figure out why, since my wife and I (both righties) were the ones who taught her. I'll have to pay more attention to which hand she's writing with when she gets them backward.

How does someone teach a lefty to write?

 

That doesn't seem to be quite as bad as what teachers used to do. Back in my grandmother's day, if you were left handed, they still made you write with your right hand.

Not saying the situation you wrote about is any great shakes. But it could be even worse.

 

A left-hander stuck in a desk designed for a right-handed child is a sort of cruel and unusual punishment.

 

No "holy shit" for me not remembering?

 

You su-diddly-uck KY!


Not really.

 

Why?

I once sat at a left-hander's desk when I was in college. You adjust.

 

«raises hand»

Can't write for shit right-handed, was never allowed to write left-handed when I was learning to write. I throw, kick, ... whatever, everything but writing I do with the left hand or foot.

Fuck you, Mrs. W******r, wherever you are. Bitch.