Being A Southpaw (a.k.a. Left-handed)

Hi! :D I’m left-handed too. It kinda runs in the female part of our family: my aunt (mom’s sister) and my cousin (said aunt’s daughter) are lefties also. Males in our family are all right-handed.

I am of those unlucky who were forced to write with right hand :( It was horrible, my first grade teacher used to hit my left hand with a ruler or wrapped a scarf around it and then tied it to my neck so I wouldn’t use it. *shudders at the memory*

My handwriting sucks and people often complain that they can’t read it. I have spent countless hours in detention at school writing out text into my notebook, because my teachers believed that writing a lot with right hand would improve my handwriting, and when it didn’t helped they thought I wasn’t trying hard enough :rolleyes: I’m so glad that is just a distant memory now

I’m so glad that my cousin was allowed to write with left hand, and didn’t have to endure what I did.

Speaking about doing things with left or right hand…

I learned to adapt, so now most of the tasks I can do with both hands, which I find very handy, when you have an accident and injure one of you hands.

There is one thing that I can do only with left hand though – it’s using mobile phone. I tried using it with right hand few times, but only succeeded in dropping it out of my hand.

Also I always carry my purse on my left shoulder, tried to put it on right shoulder a few times, but it felt too weird

As to saying that lefties are more creative I agree wholeheartedly, and I mean creativity not only as arts & music, but being generally creative in life, as to finding new ways to do things and such. I’m really terrible at math. Though I’m quite good with analytical stuff, guess its ability to see connections between things, at least in my case.

As someone else mentioned, I also pretty much immediately notice when someone writes with left hand, and think awww… another lefty :D Its just that there are not so many left handed ppl that when you see one you feel some sort of connection with them, does that makes sense? English is not my mother tongue
 
Hello ametista! Welcome to the thread!

It's such a shame that you were forced to write with your right hand. My paternal uncle and maternal aunt were forced to do so as well and for the record their penmanship really sucks, and they do admit it as well.

As for me, I put my hand bag on my right shoulder to keep my left arm free. But when I use a body bag, the strap is on my left shoulder while the bag itself is on my right hip. My sister who is right-handed does the opposite. :lol:

I agree that since only 10% of the population is left-handed, there is an immediate affinity and affection by lefties for fellow lefties. After all, we are in the minority! :lol:
 
Mandy said: I put my hand bag on my right shoulder to keep my left arm free

Good for you, since I put mine on left shoulder I have problem with my left hand not being free. And time from time I catch myself thinking: ‘God, I need one more left hand’ :lol:
 
ametista said:
I am of those unlucky who were forced to write with right hand :(...
My handwriting sucks and people often complain that they can’t read it.

Heheh I think ur talking for me. Poor us, born Left-handed but forced to write with right hand. All my friends make joke of my handwriting and a lot work colleagues scream at me coz I write so ugly. *sigh* Thanks God now we have computers and 'Word' program :lol:

Also I too use my phone only with left hand and carry my knapsack on my left shoulder hehe Most of the things I do with lef hand... as a whole I use my right hand only to work with PC mouse, write and eat...

For my regret to be left-handed bring a lot discomfort and make the rest look strangely at u... but who care hehe ;)
 
I may be a lefty but I find it more comfortable using my right hand when using my cellphone. I guess I text faster with my right hand. As for using a computer mouse, at first I had a hard time using my right hand but eventually got used to it. I can't use a mouse with my left hand to save my life.

I agree that being a lefty brings a lot of discomfort.
 
^ Yep I agree it was a little strangely to use my computer mouse with right hand, but I`m from the old generation and most of the time I work with keyboard hehe

And talking of discomfort to be lefty... the last time when I had this problem was when I try to learn juggle with three balls... all lessons start with - 'take the ball in ur rigth hand' ....agrrr why everything have to start with right hand... silly example, but for ours regret all things in this word is make only for right-handed.

To not talk about when I play volleyball and have to make serve, coz I use my left hand I have to move to the opposite corner of the field and the guys with who I play most of the time said that I just try to be interesting.

And what about the bicycle brakes... right hand operate the rear brake and left hand front brake ... after I fall few times coz always push firts the front brake I exchange them... now is big fun to see someone take my bake and try to kill himself hehe

Time ago I was think that I can use my both hands almost the same, but last year I cut my lef hand and it`s turn out that I`m in big trouble for more then a month.

Btw I carry wristwatch on my right hand. Don`t know why.. just this way is more comfortably for me.
 
Awww… Pusher you’re a lefty too! That’s so cool :D Welcome to Lefties Club *hugs*

And you even use mobile phone with left hand like me :) as I understand it’s very rare even among lefties

And what about bicycle breaks… right hand operate the rear break and left hand front brake… after I fall few times coz always push firts the front brake
Oh, yea done the falling of the bicycle part a hand full of times myself :lol: last fall was very bad – broke pelvic bones :( I try to stay away from bicycles…

For me the most challenging thing was probably learning to knit. Don’t know how it is in other countries, but in Lithuania we have these ‘housework’ classes at school. It was compulsory to learn to knit socks & gloves. Oh, man did I have hard time with that

Oh, and my watch is on my left hand :)
 
Awww… Pusher you’re a lefty too! That’s so cool Welcome to Lefties Club *hugs*

Thanks. :D *hugs back* It`s good to know that I`m not alone hehe

I`m sorry to hear that u broke pelvic bones. :( Hope ur OK now.

Long time ago when I was in school we too have these ‘housework’ classes... awww scary memorys... I hate them so much. And I completely understand u re have big problem learning to knit. ;) If I have to be honest I cheat in this type of 'housework' - only pretend that I work and in the end someone from my class do my work. In exchange I do a lot maths homework. :lol:

The only one thing that I never learn is to knot/tie my shoe-laces. Don`t know did the reason is that I`m lefty or stupid but till now I can make this. :lol:

To me just come one more funny thing...when I go on fun-fair or play paintball and star to prepare shoot with gun (of course I make it liek left-handed will do it) everyone start to scream not this way, not with this hand and runs scared... :lol:
 
I`m sorry to hear that u broke pelvic bones. Hope ur OK now.

Thank you, I’m okay now. Though I doubt I’ll dare to ride bicycle again.

I used to cheat in ‘housework’ classes too, though it was English homework that I did in return :lol:

It may be just my quirk, but I always choose to sleep on the left side on the bed, if happens so that I end up sleeping on the right side of the bed, I usually don’t sleep very well

Strangely enough I never had a problem with tying (sp?) my shoe-laces
 
I'm one of the weird ambidextrous creatures :lol: I was born left handed (can you be born cetain handed? lol) Anyways I used to be left handed up until the age of 4 but broke my left arm. It was in a pretty bad way, it was in plaster and a sling for months and unfortunately it happened the month I started school.

When I eventually did start school the teachers forced me to use my right hand because my left was in a sling and I got used to it.

Now over 18 years later I can used both hands/feet equally for anything, althogh I do prefer to write with my right hand, but most other things I used my left.

My half sister is a complete lefty though, she and I are the only 2 in our family who are :cool:
 
PintSizeGenius said:
I'm left-handed. I don't know where I get it from because both my parents are right-handed. Must be recessive genes or something.

Exact opposite. Both of my parents are left-handed and me and my twin sister are right-handed. O_O

At my job, there's at least two jobs where I have parts that I've always done with my left-hand (I had my boss walk up to me one day while on a machine where I put one part together left handed and the other right and he asked me if I was left handed, heh). And when I got tendinitis in my right elbow, I started doing even more things with my left (I can't quite use my knife with the left, but I can cut almost anything with my cutters using that hand). When I came back from the last lay off, my right hand was so weak I had to use my left to cut things.

I also have my mouse set up for a left-handed person, even though I only use it with my right hand (I can't even use a right-handed mouse very well anymore, since I'm so used to the reversed one). I can write with my left-hand, though it's really, really slow (it's readable, though).

I guess I've always figured I have two hands, I should use them both.
 
I'm ambidextrous, but I think I'm one of those ambis who was "intended" to be left-handed but was forced toward right hand usage by an environment that was literally hostile toward left-handedness. Seriously. The teacher forced me to write with my right hand. Other kids would call me "retarded" when I wore my watch on my right wrist. (Hey, early 60's, not the most enlightened era...) But, as I found out when I severely injured my right hand when I was 19, I was able to function as a lefty all the same. It took my fencing coach a couple of DAYS before he noticed I was fencing left-handed. I found out that in softball I have more power (for hitting) from the right but better control from the left. And there are some sport skills I literally have to do lefty, I just can't do it righty.

My grandmother was left-handed. I've been told that gene "skips a generation" so it sort of makes sense. Funny that, when she was growing up in the early 20th century, in central Asia and then the US, nobody gave her any grief for not being right-handed...
 
Well this is an interesting thread.

I guess I would be a lefty given that I write with my left-hand. Other than that, however, it just depends on the activity. I always assumed that I picked up the habit from my dad who (as a lefty) constantly drew and colored with me as a kid. So I copied him, lol.

Then it just depends on the activity. I’m comfortable using a right-handed mouse, I played softball by throwing and batting with my right, but I must kick a soccer ball with my left or else it goes about three feet and/or I trip myself.

As far as disadvantages go, I’ve been very fortunate to have never crossed paths with anyone who has tried to make me write with my right hand. I will, however, moan about using right-handed scissors, having pencil lead smudged across my paper and hand in school, and being jealous of all my right-handed friends who could write in their binders, but I was forced to take out a sheet of paper or use a spiral-bound notebook. :lol:

Well that and the whole, "Oh wow, you're a lefty?"
"Come on man, you've known me for eight years and you just now noticed?" Apparently being a lefty still amazes people. :rolleyes:

But here's a question for lefties: has anyone commented on how you hold your pencil/pen? I guess I have a "lazy" wrist (basically when the side of your hand rests on the table top) and it looks really odd to a lot of people. This has been said to me quite a few times and mostly by righties.
 
I'm not a southpaw (We call it softpaw in the UK) myself but I live with one in the form of my Fiancee, Martin. I'm ambidextrous too so I use my left hand for certain things and my right for certain things. I can write with both hands and it amazes my friends. But thats another story.

I usually use my right hand for writing and the side of my hand rests on the table top too. I've only just noticed that other people don't do it. Strange. And I get lead smudged across my paper wether i'm using my right or left hand. It makes no difference.

Drommie

XOXOXOX
 
My Mom tried to teach me to crochet like she did my sister, unfortunately I am left-handed and I just couldn't hack it. :lol:

korbjaeger said:
I'm ambidextrous, but I think I'm one of those ambis who was "intended" to be left-handed but was forced toward right hand usage by an environment that was literally hostile toward left-handedness.

I totally agree! I hate that most things were made with a righty in mind. Truly, we are in the minority. And with most things built for a right-handed person in mind, we have a handicap. But I guess we are a resilient bunch since we get to adapt quickly. I think I could safely say I am ambidextrous due to the fact that this world being a righty's world! :lol:

As for wrist watches, I wear mine on the left wrist. My parents are both right-handed and so that's how I was taught. However, I have a cousin who is a righty but wears her watch on her right wrist.

Point said:
Exact opposite. Both of my parents are left-handed and me and my twin sister are right-handed. O_O

I'm curious...how did that work out with them trying to teach you and your twin to do things. Did you guys learn to do things left-handed?

In my family, there is/was a lefty in the last three generations .

As for using a pair of scissors, I hate it when the blades aren't sharp enough since I can't cut with them. I have to ask the person with me at that particular moment to cut whatever I want cut to cut it for me! Gah! As for writing, I always get ink smudges on my palm. My penmanship, according to others, is quite lovely, thanks to the fact that I wasn't forced to write with my right hand.
 
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