March 29, 2006
Left, Right or both?
A discussion on the Jeremy Vine Show yesterday got me thinking about being left-handed in a right-handed world. I guess most people who know me know I'm primarily left-handed although I do write with my right hand.
For instance, if you kicked a ball to me I'd kick it back with my left foot. If I have to throw something I'll do it left handed. If I punch I do it left-handed. I used to have a guitar (don't go there - I am not musical, as I found out) and couldn't contemplate playing it right-handed for even a second. Put a tennis racket in my right hand and I'll move it to my left. I bowl (ten pin, cricket, whatever) left-handed.
But... Give me a pool cue and I'll play right-handed. I can use a pair of scissors right-handed without an issue. I use a computer mouse in my right hand. I can use the numeric keypad on the right of the alphanumeric keyboard with no issue. As I said, I write with my right hand. I use a cricket bat right handed. I golf right-handed.
All this got me thinking as I favour one side for some tasks and the other for different tasks. This is apparently known as mixed-handedness or cross-dominance. I'd never heard of the term until a guy on the show mentioned it.
It makes me wonder whether everyone starts out mixed-handed and becomes either right or left handed by way of discovering that they're just better with that hand. I remember being erm... "encouraged" to use my right hand rather than my left to write and that (as far as I'm concerned anyway) is why I ended up using my right hand to hold a pen/pencil.
I'm especially interested in this now as I see my son grow and become more handsy with things. He's only 9 months but seems to grab for things equally with his left or right hand - I can't help but wonder which of the three things he will be... Left-Handed, Right-handed or Mixed-Handed. Hard to tell, as Carla is completely right-handed. i guess we'll just have to watch in wonderment as he grows up and learns things all on his own. Smart little tyke!
I'm almost exclusively right-dominated - I write with my right hand, kick a ball with my right foot, have a dominant right eye (operations to correct a squint in my left eye caused it to go lazy). However, I hear better in my left ear and hop better on my left foot even though I can't kick with it. I guess it's all part of what makes us individual.
Posted by: Ann at March 29, 2006 5:32 PMI thought being able to use both hands was called ambidextrous?!
Anyway, Martha and I are both right handed, but Martha's Dad is a leftie. Audrey uses both hands pretty much equally and I'm led to believe that children don't "choose" until they are about 3 years old.
Whatever Audrey ends up using I will support that. As Ann said, its what makes us unique!
Posted by: Gabby at April 4, 2006 7:48 PM