I'm not a lefty but I thought I would share, that two of my five sisters are twins. They are identical except that one of them is a lefty. I've never done research about twins but I've often heard that one twin is always a lefty. I also have two cousins, a boy and girl, and one of them is also a lefty. Interesting eh?

MeMo

My husband is a lefty, and so are all the men on my mothers side of the family.
The only problem I found with my lefties is that we need to make sure we set the table so that they can be the most comfortable when eating and not feel like they are bumping into anyone!

My husband does many things with his right hand too. Not out of being forced to use it, but I think learning and observing how others did certain tasks or accomplished certain things.

I love my sinistre!

GGG

Agh, the trials and tribulations of being left handed. My poor father had his left hand whipped with a cane when he was in school for writing with his left hand, if I remember correctly the teacher actually broke a bone in his hand. My mother made me practice writing with my right hand for 1 hour every day one summer holiday before she finally she gave up disgusted with me.
Most of everything you can buy is made for right handed people and in many cases it would be so easy if manufacturers would for eg. put a pouring lip on both sides of the pan or ladle or...
I used to work in hospital, one evening I went into the kitchen to make an eggnog for a patient, the handle of the eggbeater kept coming off in my hand LOL.
Yes there are some drawbacks being left handed but I did win an award in grade six for having the best handwriting in the class. This was when writing was still taught in school, anyone remember the writing books where the lines were divided and you had to keep the letters in side the lines. My draw back when writing is I turn my paper sideways so I don't have to curl my hand around, the only trouble with this is I pull my hand through what I've written and sometimes it smears.
A lot are left handed on my side of the family, mostly girls, I think genetics have a lot to do with it.
Good things about being left handed are.... I have my own left handed pruning shears and scissors :o) and just think if one of you is a lefty and one is a righty some jobs can be tackled as a team, like painting finicky bits on a window frame, pounding nails in that awkward spot etc. etc. etc.
I do a lot of things right handed like playing ball and shooting a rifle, my right eye is dominant so that explains this I guess but I also start out with my right foot and I shovel, rake and so on all right handed.
One way of teaching or showing a lefty how to do something is to sit in front of them and they can copy what you're doing by pretending they're looking at themselves in a mirror.
Thank god most people nowadays have enough brains to accept children who are left handed as they are, kids have much more to deal with nowadays than being left handed.

Annette

Regarding the word sinister, if you are old enough to remember the Underdog cartoon show, you might get a kick out of reading about the name Simon Bar Sinister, which apparently goes all the way back to Sir Walter Scott -- at least the Bar Sinister part.

A righty,
ThinMan

Here is a link that might be useful: Simon Bar Sinister

Thin man I do remember the cartoon but had forgotten that reference! Thanks for sharing it.

Annette: broke a bone in his hand !! Whoa they were really determined. Did he stay R or L handed ?

I am right eye dominant. I start most things with my left foot .

GGG that is interesting that it is just the guys. And yes we always get the corners of the tables so our elbows have room !

MeMo I will have to look that up about twins. I know there are mirror image twins but have never studied that.

Anyone else??? c

I'm a southpaw too. It seems like I'm forever getting cornered at tables fighting for elbow room with some righty.

I have the most horrible handwriting. My grammar school teachers didn't exactly try to force me to write right-handed (they had a hard enough time getting me to behave at all), but I can remember parent-teacher conferences where they admonished my parents to try to get me to write right-handed. Although, I think most of those conferences were more about "control your hellion" than "make him right-handed."

By the time I reached highschool, there were a few left-handed desks (usually one per room, if that many).

I just learned to do as best I can with whatever tools are around. I tend to change hands when I'm working on something, depending on what I'm doing and how close a particular hand is to what I need to reach. So, sometimes I'm pruning "upside down" and sometimes I hold the shears right-handed. I mostly just try to keep all my fingers in view to prevent unfortunate accidents. Because I switch hands so often, most left-handed tools actually confuse me more than the right-handed ones. I've gotten too used to holding things backwards more or less.

And, like I mentioned in the gallery, knitting seemed fairly easy to learn to do "backwards," mostly because both hands are in play, I think. I just sort of pretend the left needle is doing the real work.

I haven't heard about handedness and twins before, that's interesting. As far as I know, I'm the only lefty in my branch of the family.

Caroline, my dad stayed R handed but his handwriting wasn't so hot. Now that I think about it. My right eye is the dominant one hence the way I shoot a rifle and the ball playing. I do lead with my right foot, put my right foot on the shovel holding it with my left hand, Me thinks I must be a bit of both, depending on what I'm doing. It's that split personality thing again LOL.

Annette

I'm not a lefty either, thanks to my parents. They did the standard put-the-pencil-in-the-right-hand thing for quite a while. I kept refusing and using my left hand, until I went to school and the teacher punished me for using my left hand! So, I succumbed and wrote with my right hand, but used my left for much else.

I'll never understand why there is, and was, such a stigma about being left-handed. It's a shame really.

Today, I'm mostly right-handed, but I still use my left for many things.

Tracy

I'm bi. I am predominantly right-handed, but favor my left for certain tasks such as mousing, catching a ball and picking things up. I lead with my left foot.

I attended a workshop on spinning wool; it seemed to me that everything was backwards. I felt terribly fumble-fingered. I decided to do it my way, rather than the way the instructor was demonstrating. She kept trying to correct me. When she became distracted by another student's problem, I managed to spin a long, even thread. I produced the best thread amongst the participants, but she kept staring at me with a frown and correcting me. She made me feel like I was being difficult, or weird.

A few months later an Epal sent a friend of her's, who was passing through Berkeley, to visit me because the woman used to be a spinner by trade. We chatted at length, had a meal, then she wanted to see what I could do with a spindle. I told her that I kept trying to do it the way I was taught, but it was very awkward and frustrating. She watched me for a couple of minutes, then declared the problem had a simple solution. She told me I had been taught right-handed spinning, but I am a left-handed spinner.

Lorna

well Annette I put my R foot on the shovel too ! And I noticed tonight at the gym that I start with the L foot to do reps but start with the R foot after to stretch. So I guess I am like you,Tracy and Lorna and am a bi.

Lorna how stupid of that instructor to be so rigid. It really gets my goat when I am confronted by folks like that. There is only one way and it is their way or the highway ! I always figure if it works then it is "all good ". c

I'm a lefty, the only one on my side of the family (to my knowledge) and neither of my kids are lefthanded. Eventhough I attended Catholic school (in the old days when the staff was all Nuns) I don't have any horror stories about being forced to use my right hand. Plenty of horror stories about other stuff, though :-).

I'd say I just adapted, like most of you have, to life using both hands to accomplish what had to be done. I bowl righthanded, but play tennis lefthanded. Learning to iron from my righthanded mother was interesting. Snagging the end of the table seat when eating out with more than one person has always been something I try to do.

On the plus side, DH is righthanded so we can hold hands when we dine, lol.
Vikki

Now Vikki that is sweet. My DH went to Catholic schools and then to high school with the Jesuit Brothers...boy does he have stories to tell too !!

Adapting seems to be the rule on most things.....c

The only person, that I am aware, in my family left handed is #1 grandson. We never tried to disourage him. He is now in training to be a boomer operator on air tanker refueling planes. I'll have to ask him if he is experiencing any difficulties.
I was in grade school in the 50's. I never saw a teacher correct a student.

My daughter's a lefty and when she taught her little brother who is right-handed to tie his shoes, she taught him to do it the left-handed way. She was a great first base player in softball, but she could bat either way. It was always fun for me to look for left-handed items for her...ball glove, golf clubs, scissors. I still watch for them.

My husband is left-handed too. He has beautiful handwriting. He said they tried to get him to shoot right-handed when he was in the service, but he refused and they let him shoot left-handed.
My Mother had three left-handed brothers out of five brothers, the girls were right-handed.

All of the identical twins I went to school with were always one right-handed and one left-handed. Mirror image. I wonder how that works with identical triplets?

I read a bit of trivia the other day which claimed the only "ancestral group" which has been documented to pass on the trait of left-handedness is the Scottish clan Kerr.

Lorna

How very interesting. I have been more aware of my "sinistre" side since this thread ! Last night as I was working at my son's restaurant, I am the hostess, I was greeting a group of 4 folks and as I picked up my pencil to cross off their name the older gentleman in the group, said "ah you are left-handed and smarter than everyone else too!". So I asked him if he was left-handed and he laughed and said yes. We chatted about being LH all the way to their table. He and his DW passed along the trait to one child and not the other.

I will have to look up this whole genetic thing one of these days. c

Here is a very interesting article..

Here is a link that might be useful: ABC news article on lefties

That's a very good article.

I had a problem in school only one year, 2nd grade, when I drew the oldest 2nd grade teacher in school.

There must have been a policy in place, though, because, after she begged me to "try" a couple of times & closed her eyes in pain a couple of times at the sight of me writing with my left hand, she never mentioned it again.

My grandmother was left-handed, but she was forced to write right-handed in school.

Her writing was teensy, crabbed, & difficult to read;
I'm sure it was difficult for her to write it,too.

I've had the same thought about pour spouts, as well as can openers & other tools.

Since I grew up using right-handed scissors, left-handed ones are difficult for me.

I always used a right-handed mouse until I hurt my right thumb:

When I first started using a left-handed mouse, it was a little odd, but I got used to it very quickly, & now I use it a lot more easily than the right-handed one.

Haruumphhh! Those so-called researchers are behind the times. Many groups of animals have been documented to have language of their own. It is untrue to state that chimpanzees don't have language. There is a DVD or CD on the market translating various sounds made by dogs. A wolf researcher has been documenting language amongst wolves. The researchers teaching gorillas sign language have shown amazing results. The famous Amazon Grey Parrot, whose name escapes me at the moment, has been documented to have incredible language skills. In the case of the gorillas and the parrot they have learned "foreign" languages. I had a dog who was "tri-lingual". He obeyed about thirty commands in three languages, which means a total of ninety words and/or combinations.

Society dictates right-handedness. That fact was not addressed in this article, albeit an important consideration. I do agree that in battle, and in sports, a left-hander could have an advantage. However, in days of old a good swordsman could fight with either hand. Many pistol experts have taught themselves to shoot with either hand. The article didn't address the fact that there are ambidextrous people (which we have dubbed bi). Years ago I read an article which said that many cigarette smokers are ambidextrous, because they learned to use the hand which wasn't holding the cigarette to do other tasks!

When I worked at the University I switched my computer set-up to left-handed. Time and time again somebody sat down to use my computer and became completely flummoxed at discovering the mouse was on the left side. A few gamely tried to use their left hand, but could not make the mouse work. I found it quite amusing.

Lorna

Hey Lorna there was another article that i almost linked to that had stuff about bi-s and other aspects of all this. I had never bothered to read up on "myself". It is interesting that really when you come down to it no one knows...so we are a mystery...I love it. Sinistre ...indeed...watch out !

Mmmmm, remember my split personality? maybe that explains my love/hate thingy with the color yellow LOL.

Annette

I'm a lefty too. Thank goodness schools just stopped the stupid trying to make you write right-handed right before I started. My father likes to point out that the only other lefties in the family were his two older brothers(my grandparents were from Italy!) and that all 3 of us have the same talents, being excellent pool and poker players. Strange talents for a woman to have, lol! Though I have been know to take money from fool-hearty men : )
I'm also left-footed. I often played on the left side when I was on the soccer team.
I taught myself to use the mouse with my right hand, but I never could play video games well.
I don't think anybody has mentioned yet that most of the recent presidents have been left-handed.
Remy

Here is a link that might be useful: Presidents and other Famous Lefties

And another thing that I thought of, after a recent incident. How many of you lefties go left when approaching someone? I'm forever dancing around people I assume are right handed who go to their right when trying to go around someone. I have to remind myself to go right.

I also tend to go through left doors when given a choice, which a relative once told me was bad luck (that sinister thing again).

Kent, I never thought of it but if there are two doors I seem to always try the left one first which by the way is always locked in my case. I always pass people on the right, maybe because we drive on the right side of the road here.

Annette

When I go to write a check at the store, the pens have the chain on the "wrong" side, making it hard to write.

Hmmm I always passon the left. Since driving you get in the left lane to pass and on my bike or even trailrunning, especially in a race I always was taught to call out " on your left" so that folks don't jerk to the left. I always push the right side of a door which works sometimes and others not. I aim for the most right door most times...awwww now I am going to have to stop and think about doors....

We use a debit card 100% so I only ever write a check for a couple bills a month I had forgotten about chained up pens. LOL.

Hang in there C... it seems everything tries to, to put it bluntly, $@%*w with us but, they ain't going to win LOL.

Annette

I thought of another thing. Anyone else have trouble loosening and tightening things like faucets or screws? I always did until another lefty told me, "Lefty loosy; righty tighty." lol.
Remy

Remy, I chant that every time I have to turn something!

Sinistre? Well, en francais, we are gauche!! Indeed. In school I had no troubles, but I do remember in Sunday School, I apparently had someone try to change me over. No one did that to Madge's daughter, and they were quickly put 'right'. Speaking of which, we are the only ones in our 'right' minds, don't you know. I have left handed scissors which I love. I mouse right-handed, because I had such bad carpal tunnel in my left hand; even after it was fixed I still mouse right-handed, I guess till I get the right hand fixed. And don't start me on manual can-openers. I would starve if left to them. I had to leave my beloved B&D spacesaver in the move, and could not find another right away, so purchased a 'Gizmo'....Holy Cow. Just don't go there, OK. It will be in my first yard sale at a greatly reduced price, barely used.

Thanks for letting me rant! Nancy.