Someone from the M4M parenting forum asked about changing her child's handedness, or more precisely, his preference to use the left hand. It brought back some memories when Jolyne was two, when she started showing her left hand preference.

I remembered vividly how worried my mom was back then. We did not have a lefty in my side of the family, and naturally, she urged me to change Jolyne's dominance, citing the inconvenience that would cause her as she grows. After discussing with KA and observing her, we decided not to. I, for one, do not believe in influencing a child's hand preference. It is in-born. It is for the same reason why brown-eyed people has brown eyes. She had clearly shown her preference, so that was it. Why for heaven's sack would I change it if I wouldn't want to change her black eyes blue? Even worse, I might end up confusing her and slowing her development and learning.

Genetically, Jolyne should have inherited her left-handedness from her daddy. KA suffered quite a bit from his father's punishment during childhood when being forced to switch side (because "using left hand is not right"). Well, though he ended up being ambidextrous (able to use both left and right), he still uses his left hand for most tasks. So the "correction" did nothing to change him.

Frankly speaking, there are some inconvenience and disadvantages for the lefties as, sadly, this world is not built for minorities. Right-handers may not notice, but too many things around us are made selfishly for our convenience. Which side is your mouse positioned? And where is the number pad on your keyboard? How about the rotary of can openers? And remember how the tables attached to the chairs in lecture halls are always on the right side? It sounds intimidating enough, but these are not enough reasons to encourage dominance switching. As parents, it is more important for us to accept Jolyne's preference, teach her how to overcome the inconvenience, be patient with her initial awkwardness and slowness (I still remember how I use my right hand to hold her left hand to write, LOL), and always, always, be supportive.

Jolyne, at six years old now, is very comfortable with her left-handedness. She may not have the neatest handwriting, or be the fastest eater, but I'm proud to say, she's a confident and smart young lady, and I'm glad that I stand by the decision I made four years ago.