I bet you’ve never really considered this, have you? I hadn’t either until the other day when I noticed that Son and I were stirring simultaneously in opposite directions. Most of you will perform this daily ritual stirring clockwise but for just around ten per cent of the population, the opposite will be true.
It will come as no surprise to friends and family that I fall into said ten per cent. I was born with a minority affliction. I am not disabled – I am left-handed and being so renders simple everyday tasks tricky.
Using a tin opener is a challenge; I have trouble with serrated bread knives (a beautiful loaf will end up with a 45 degree overhang); I can’t use a corkscrew and even getting into the house via the front door using a simple Yale key can be problematic. Everything has been manufactured by the majority for the majority but for us Lefties, the world is just the wrong way round.
Buying something as boringly necessary as an iron means I have to choose carefully and from a meagre selection – of those where the electrical cord emerges from the top of the appliance rather than the (wrong) side.
When I was a child my grandmother despaired because she couldn’t teach me to knit properly – I would train the wool ‘the other way’ around the needle.
Of course, there are left-handed alternatives for a lot of things. I wouldn’t be without my left-handed scissors for instance or my left-handed cheque book (not used quite so much these days but so simple – the perforations are on the ‘other side’ of the book) but most left-handed items tend to be flash-in-the-pan five minute gimmicks and of no use at all. The craziest thing I saw advertised last Christmas was SLOPED LINED writing paper. The lines were printed on a downhill slant to prevent ‘left-handers from smudging [their] writing.’ Give me strength! Firstly, whoever writes with a smudgeable pen these days – quill pens went out even before I was at school – and why oh why are we not teaching our left-handed pupils to do the simple thing and SLANT THE PAPER?!!
I’m astonished and irritated that so many left-handed students struggle with their handwriting. Most of them hold their pens awkwardly and/or “hook” their hands over the top of their writing in order to see what they’ve just written. Left-handed children should be guided, early on, to turn their paper so that in effect, they are virtually writing top to bottom, almost vertically. (I’ve always done this – I think I figured it out for myself because I don’t remember anyone suggesting it and my writing is at best stylish and at worst legible). Turning the paper negates bad pen holding habits and helps improve writing. No need for that uncomfortable hooking. I find it incredible that teachers don’t seem to be aware of the subtle and simple changes that could be suggested to make a left-hander’s life easier. I’m astounded that, once a seating plan has been devised, some pairs of students are knocking elbows. Never sit a left-hander on the right side of a desk facing forward: swap them round and instantly both pupils gain much more space. Obvious, you may think but there’s been many a time that I’ve had to quietly suggest a reshuffle.
Left-handers are adaptable by nature – we have to be. We are creative because we have had to be. We come at the world from a different angle. From learning to tie shoe laces to driving a car, our lives have been fraught with difficulties that right-handed people can’t even imagine. We have to put up with the negative connotations that the word ‘left’ dredges up – ‘left out’ and ‘left over;’ the French ‘gauche’ and the Latin ‘sinistra’ whereas the opposite of wrong is good old goody two-shoes Right.
I have to admit to a couple of advantages. I can surprise an opponent playing tennis if I hit the ball well because a left-hand spin sends the ball off in an unexpected direction. I feel at home driving in mainland Europe because for me, anti-clockwise around a round-a-bout holds no fear – in fact, it feels more comfortable.
Left handers are probably more ambidextrous as we have to adapt to using right-handed things. For instance, I was once offered a set of left-handed golf clubs (not that I play the real game – the most I’ve ever done is the crazy variety on holiday) but I did try them out and they felt just wrong. Interestingly, we know a right-handed person who plays with left-handed clubs. What’s going on there, I wonder?
I checked out a list of famous left-handers. Einstein, Michelangelo, Winston Churchill, Bart Simpson, Paul McCartney, David Bowie…the list was quite surprising. I seem to be in esteemed company so why should I worry. Truth is, I don’t. Just don’t ask me to slice your bread, knit you a jumper or open the wine and I’ll be fine.
Well tea should be stirred an-tea-clockwise. That’s the way I do it. Although not sure if I did when I was in the southern hemisphere? But that was probably coffee anyway.
There is a family legend that I started out a lefty, but Dad being a conservative, I was ‘helped’ to get it right.
Our daughter is a lefty (dextrously speaking) and I have watched her struggle with right-minded implements, and getting the elbow when seated on the right at dinner.
I think you should all stand up for your left rights.
At least I can blame my illegible writing to having been made to change (whether I really was or it’s just another family story).
We should start changing all words with right to left. I felt right out. Your are wrong, I am left.
That may make lefting more difficult if we use phonics as well as exact spelling. Join a lefting class. Left a letter to a friend.
Left on buddy, great post .
Don’t worry, I’ll amend!
All done. I’ll delete this evidence now !
Haha, thanks! I enjoyed your responses too. I forgot about north/south hemispheres. Would I be different if I stirred my tea in Australia?
A friend of my Dad’s was forced to write with his right hand. His teacher tied his left behind his back. He’s 95 now so I’m describing an almost century old practice. Barbaric, isn’t it? I have no control of a pen in my right hand – I have to concentrate extremely hard to get the letters correct. What stress to put on a child.
Terrific post, south paw. 🙂 By the way, good to read you again. 🙂
Thanks Lynette. Things have been a bit quiet on the writing front lately so I’m pushing myself to start up again…grind, grind! Thanks for sticking with me😉
A couple of responses. First, fold your hands and then notice which thumb lies on top of which. My left thumb lies on top of my right when my hands are folded. Now, unfold your hands and interdigitate your fingers in such a way that the thumbs are stacked the other way – and fold your hands again. So, I would have to shift my right hand up (relative to my left hand) to allow my right thumb to lie above my left when I fold my hands. The point is that making your hands fold in the way which is not natural for you feels weird … doesn’t it? Folding in the alternate feels weird because the tendency is genetically controlled.
Second … on a related matter. Joanna is pretty sure she is genetically predisposed to left-handedness. She remembers being trained by her teachers in grade school to conform and to write with her right hand. How short-sighted of them to have done so. The interesting outcome of this is that she is easy ambidextrous.
D
Now here’s a thing. I’ve just tried the hand folding. I’m most comfortable with my right thumb on top. When I interdigitated (I LOVE this word!) it felt most uncomfortable. Then I folded my arms and again, my left arm ends up underneath.
Being very ambidextrous must be a real advantage – and again I’m thinking of tennis. No backhands! But what a price to pay to become so. To be trained out of what comes naturally.
Thanks for stopping by and adding to the discussion – we’ve missed you and Joanna!
Great to see you, Jenny! I stir my tea counter-clockwise. I’m right handed but I use the 10-key calculator with my left. My father is right handed but he plays all sports, including golf, left handed. I’ve never understood why or how. I’m with you…stop looking like a pretzel and slant the paper lefties!
Well, you certainly are a bit of a mixture Jill. Handedness is supposed to run in families but no one in my family except one cousin is left handed like me.
I’ve never heard the expression ‘looking like a pretzel’ but I reckon I’ll be using it quite a bit from now on!
Great post Jenny! I’m a rightie, strongly so, without a hint of ambidextrousness – but managed to raise two left handers who are both a little ambidextrous, one more so than the other. Both are very creative! There used to be a school of thought that being a lefty meant you were somehow deficient – left being synonymous with ‘sinister’ and therefore the devils spawn or some other such nonsense. When I was a new teacher I battled an older more experienced teacher who came into my classroom and insisted that a wee chap who was a leftie be taught to use the ‘correct hand’. I lost and he went on to develop a stutter. I never lost that argument again!
I have often had cause to ponder left and right and ambidextrousness, and have come to the conclusion that I am the one who is disadvantaged in terms of creativity and adaptability when it comes to handedness. I am convinced that the upside of having to handle a right handed environment is creativity, adaptability and superior problem solving abilities! Go the lefties 🙂
Thanks Pauline. Your story about the little boy is very sad – just goes to show how easy it is to create anxiety in children, although this practise is extreme – I had been under the impression that this was phased out in the 1920’s but apparently not.
Deficient? I’m sure there are lots of areas in which I am deficient but I don’t regard being a leftie one of them! How interesting that both your girls are left handers. I really do think it keeps us creative for longer as we tread the minefield of a right handed world 😀
Funnily enough, Isabel was talking about this with her left handed friends, about the fact that two of them hook their hands round the paper, and the other two were saying, “I’ve never had to do that!”
She did laugh when she read that bit about the slant lined writing paper.
Hooked writing looks so uncomfortable! Why wasn’t this addressed in infant school, I wonder. I know there are these ridiculous fat pens that are presumably well meant but given the correct instruction or suggestion left handed children can manage to hold and write with a regular pen. It’s not their grip that’s at fault, it’s the lack of imagination of their educators!
Haha.. I can’t use the left-handed excuse for my sloping bread slicing (which is why I always ask the baker to slice the loaf) and funnily my daughter is exactly the same! And yale locks are not the only problem with unlocking a door. Our door has a knob. OK on the inside as it turns clockwise and there is space, but try doing it on the outside which you have to turn anti-clockwise, and your right-handed knuckles bang against the door frame. A case where being left-handed would be helpful (at least for getting into the house). I have tried to use my left hand but it is too weak to turn the knob. I agree it must be awkward to use a lot of things and I’d never considered the difficulty in using a corkscrew! Yikes!
Ha! Maybe unbeknownst to you, you’ve got a left handed bread knife. They are available! I’m comforted to know that right handers have trouble with door furniture. I blame the architects. Mind you, I’d bet that a fair few of them are left handed. Ah well, we’ll just have to put up with scraped knuckles, I suppose.
Yes, pretty desperate situations have occurred due to the corkscrew issue as you can imagine.😆
I stir my tea clockwise. I write and do my art with my right hand but throw and open jars with my left. I think I am more left handed because there is an easy test to do with preschoolers involving a tube and looking through it with both eyes focusing holding it out to see an apple. When it “jumps” and you cannot see the apple, that is the eye you are “handed.” We tested many children this way and when I went home, my Mom and little brother were the only ones who were right handed. Dad, Randy (artist) and I are supposed to be left handed, Jenny.
Thanks for wishing me to send my little precious grandbaby your direction, Jenny. Hope you have a lovely weekend, dear. This was a fun post! 🙂
When I read your first sentence I thought you meant you threw jars😆
I am interested in the preschooler test you did with the tube and the apple but have never heard of it so am struggling to visualise what you mean. I’ll see if I can find it on the Internet!
You have a lot of lefties in your family, Robin. I wonder if your famous artistic ancestor was a leftie? Am still hoping to get to those mobiles…
That means I sm “losing” my use of good, proper English. Ha ha!
Jenny, have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and thanks for visiting my blog. So happy you liked the book for the film I really reviewed! 🙂
I, too am a leftie, but find that I do so many things right handed now that often I start to do something one way, find it doesn’t work, and have to switch hands. Unlike Robin, I could not tell you which hand I open a jar with until I started to open the jar. Right and left? I’m much better with north south east west. I use right handed scissors and play tennis right handed. But when I learned a blanket stitch a few years ago, I had to mirror the instructions, as of course, they were right handed! I do think we are much more adaptable.
It sounds as if you have more than managed to adapt to a right handed world Lisa. I can only do jars with my left hand – no strength in my right wrist – but if the lids are really stubborn, I find that donning a rubber glove does the trick! I’m impressed you can wield a tennis racquet right handed.
My brother’s a lefty. Lefties are creative people. ❤
Diana xo
I think we have to be, Diana. Thanks for popping in and thank you so much for today’s Friday Pick – a very generous gesture. I had a little trawl of your site earlier today… I’ll be back for some more soon😊
My pleasure Jenny! ❤
Diana xo
Jackie, the most creative and practical person I have known, is left handed; as is Sam, the best brain in a not unintelligent family. One artist friend is so ambidextrous as to be able to paint with both hands at once when filling a large area. Me, I’m just plain old normal 🙂
Haha, I’m visualising painting with both hands at once. Would be very useful for a painter and decorator – especially in a narrow room😆
Jackie’s creative skills are very apparent in your beautiful garden.
And it depends what you mean by plain old normal…
[…] Which way do you stir your tea? by CHARACTERSFROMTHEKITCHEN […]
Very honoured to be chosen as your Friday Pick, Diana, thank you very much😊
❤
My eldest sister is left-handed. When she started school in England (we lived in Nottingham for a few years) they tried to force her to change. My father promptly disinformed them of that idea! Like you, she does talk about some of the challenges — but wouldn’t change it for the world. She also has the most lovely penmanship of anyone Iknow!
Thanks for the lovely post — Diana sent me.
Hello, Louise, nice to meet you. Thanks for hopping over via Diana’s site.
I wouldn’t want to be right handed either – I wouldn’t be me. What on earth were educators doing trying to alter something that comes naturally? Good for your Dad, I say!
Hey, fellow leftie! I can relate. 😁 By the way, Diana sent me.
Same name, same hand! Hello Jennifer, thanks for popping over from Diana’s site. 😀
It’s amazing how many things are affected by differences in dominant hand – I couldn’t even imagine. You should start an educational movement to educate teachers how to support left-handed kids!
I do think it would be a valid subject to touch on during the teacher training. Staff I’ve mentioned this to are usually grateful for the difference being pointed out and some have been astounded at the improvement to a leftie student a simple switching or suggestion can make…
Outstanding post, Jenny. I’m still smiling at the opening question. One of the children’s pages in our newspaper has a coloring page. This week’s page was to color the glass of milk and make it chocolate and then color the fruit on the napkin. The “question of the day” was “How do you make chocolate milk?” (I think it was going for using a brown crayon to color the milk.) The common response was to pour in chocolate syrup and then stir it with a spoon. One boy (whose answer was quoted by the newspaper) said, “I’m like James Bond, and I want mine shaken and not stirred.”
So, Jenny, do you like your tea shaken or stirred? 🙂
Well, stirred – but anti-clockwise, of course! Thanks Marylin – I love that boy’s response. I bet he’s a handful in the classroom!
What interesting posts. As a secondary trained teacher, this was something that was not covered in training college. A pity. I seem to know a lot of left-handed people and I think the grandson has a pre-disposition this way. It will be interesting to watch how this develops.
Also isn’t it fascinating how many useless things are developed. They seem to find a home for a short while in those little magazines that come free with the weekend papers. I imagine they come from those “Why don’t they …?” moments we all have. Some of them are really good and I have a couple in the house.
Yes, there are plenty of useless gadgets – but then that goes for right and left handed ones. For instance, I cannot use a vegetable peeler – even one that ostensibly is for a leftie. I stick to a knife and thick peelings!
A definite topic for discussion on a teacher training session – but particularly those who will be teaching at infant/primary level.
Hello fellow leftie! Ahh Jenny, you know my feelings on all of this, and I agree totally, but three things: a) you’re right, I never did consider which way I stir my tea, so had to stop and think & I stir with my right-hand anti-clockwise – go figure! – b) I always find driving in Europe and America easier but never figured it was because I was a lefty, duh, but makes perfect sense now; and c) I never did the ‘hook’ thing when writing. I write like the same way as a right-handed person, trained myself to do that, unlike other lefties I knew at school. But I still managed to get the side of my hand smudged with biro a lot of the time… As for those products designed for left-handed folk, I find them too awkward to use. Nicky is the only one of my three who is left-handed, but my grandmother and uncle on my mother’s side both were/are. But nobody else in my immediate family. I like being diferent 🙂 Great post Jenny! Have a wonderful weekend! xx
You too, Sherri. I thought you were left – handed, I think you mentioned it once before. I don’t understand your right-handed stirring though – that indeed is weird. 🙂
Left handed gadgets are probably no use to us because we are so used to having to adapt to all things right handed. None of my immediate family are lefties – just one cousin, so I’ve no idea why I’m different, but as you so rightly (should that be leftly) say, being different is good.
🙂
As an early childhood teacher I found this post fascinating, Jenny. I was thinking of all the lefties I have taught and whether I had made life easier or more difficult for them, and came to the conclusion that I really don’t know. I don’t remember any children bumping elbows, or fighting over desk space when they turned their books on a slant to write. Whether children were left handed or right-handed wasn’t something that I paid a lot of attention to. I feel remiss about that now. However I’m certain that I would have accommodated any needs that were pointed out to me, and I definitely wouldn’t have tried to force use of a particular hand, as happened to my cousin when he started school in the late 50s.
I am right-handed but I stir my drinks (and cake mixes and soups etc) anti-clockwise. I’d never really thought about it before, so thanks for your question.
My son has mixed dominance. He scrawls right-handed but bats left-handed, for example. I never tried to influence his choice of hand but mixed dominance was considered an indicator of learning difficulties when he was assessed at age 5 for school readiness. Since he had been reading since he was 3, had a fantastic memory and agility with mental arithmetic I wasn’t concerned. He has since gone on to a successful career as a researcher with a PhD in computer science. I can’t imagine what he may have achieved if his mixed dominance was a learning difficulty! His son, now 6 and in year one, was also taking a while to decide which hand to use. I think he probably favours the right now but I must check it out. Some children favour a hand early on. Others take longer to decide. I think that, as long as they are not forced one way or the other, especially against their natural choice, the time probably doesn’t matter.
I think the reason for forcing children to use their right hands in the “olden” days was for the reason you have pointed out – the world is geared for right-handed people. But it spins in an anti-clockwise direction?
I think it would be great for all teachers to have training in accommodating left-handed students. Thank you for pointing this out. 🙂
Well, it is a consideration, isn’t it? I know we are in a 10% minority, but even so…it wouldn’t hurt to mention it on a teacher training course, would it? 😀 I work in a school for 11-16 year olds and by the time some children arrive in our year 7 they already are struggling with their handwriting – and that isn’t exclusively the lefties. I don’t know what happens theses days in our primary schools but I don’t think writing is a priority!
My son was quick to read ( sadly didn’t enjoy actually doing it until much older!) but his handwriting isn’t great. Legible yes. But it just goes to show that children and young adults will do things in their own time and to rush them will only end in tears and frustration. I think we’ll have much to discuss regarding teaching approaches. I’ll be so interested to hear how things are tackled in Australia.
I so agree with this: “children and young adults will do things in their own time and to rush them will only end in tears and frustration.”
For children, parents and teachers! It’s definitely not worth the pain for anyone.
Yes, we have much to discuss! 🙂
Very interesting, Jenny! I never thought about Lefties and the various challenges you mention in your post. But you are right. I mean correct. How would a Leftie use a handled door fixture. It is awkward, I am sure. If it is on the left side of the door, I think now it would be perfect. Great post…..I am aware of your struggles now!!!!!
If a door fixture is on the right, I reach over with my left. Looks funny but it’s a lot easier then fumbling awkwardly using my right hand. Always did that and it wasn’t until someone pointed it out that I became aware of doing it that way.
I think Lefties have to automatically compensate for living in a right-handed world. We do these things without realising.
I agree. The only time being left-handed became an issue for me was when I was in the 3rd grade and had to write on the blackboard. We were all assigned a space to write. My assigned spot was the corner left where two blackboards jointed up. What a hard time I had since my left arm kept hitting the other student and the other blackboard.
CORRECTION: No, the right side of the door, the handle would be perfect!
Haha, how lovely to hear from you Hollis. I wondered if perhaps you are left handed, as a lot of artists seem to be. And yes, handles on the right side of the door hold no awkwardness for us lefties. I’m fine at locking up at night, just not getting in through the same front door from the outside. Hey ho, I manage😀
We drink it black without sugar, so doesn’t apply 🙂 ‘Twould be interesting though as he’s a leftie.
What really amazed me though, did you not use pen and ink at school? Have we had the Marian Richardson conversation?
Haha, good answer.
No, are you kidding me? Never heard of Marian Richardson. I had a cartridge pen with an italic nib at one point. Once it got down to copious note taking – A levels – biros were the order of the day. Or even pencil. Essays in pen, but not ink. I do remember having a nightmare with a bottle of Quink once. All over the place.
No. En serio. I was thinking junior school primarily, where I had a left-handed friend and it was weird watching her write having to curl her hand round the wrong way. She slanted the paper, she was pretty (aka very) bright.
I threw Quink all over the lounge wall as a kid when I was at my desk. Was I in bother. A bottle of Quink goes a long way, does it not?
I enjoyed your post! I had never thought about which way I stirred until reading this post. As a lefty, I do stir counterclockwise. I’ve just adapted to so many things that I’ve never thought about their hardness to learn (or nusiances like scissors and can openers) until recently when attempting calligraphy and hearing that being left-handed makes it harder. I don’t recall being told how to hold a pen as a child, but I do turn my paper anywhere from 45 degrees to completely sideways and don’t hook write. I don’t recall having smudged papers. My daughter is also a lefty, but unlike me she throws and surfs like a right handed person, and then shoots the soccer ball and skateboards like a lefty.
Hello there, fellow lefty! Thanks for commenting. You’re right – we have had to become adaptable – and do it well by default. Your daughter sounds like she’s ambidextrous – which is a very useful trait to have! Nice to meet you.
Loved this article. As a left-habdede person, I relate to this a lot.
Thanks for taking the trouble to comment – I really appreciate it😀
Slanting the paper – I thought I was the only one that did that. Like you I think I figured it out myself, don’t remember anyone suggesting it.
Recently I had an issue at the bank with my signature not matching up digitally with my signature that was on file (scanned in from a card) years ago. Because I had to slant (hook) my hand instead of the computer signature pad, it looked totally different.
Hmm, that’s interesting. I’ve never come across that particular problem. However, my bank does produce a left handed cheque book – with the perforations on the right side. Makes signing cheques and tearing them out so much easier. Not that there’s much need these days for cheque books at all 😀
Now they have to design a smart phone for lefties.
Hadn’t realised, hadn’t even ever thought about the significance of which way I stirred my tea. Such crucial and life-enhancing deliberations are what I enjoy most about each new day and each new blog I come across. Something new comes along to make me think about something I’d never thought about before – even at my advanced age. Although essentially right-handed, I could only stir anti-clockwise. I suppose I am somewhat ambidextrous. I’m now wondering if my earliest leanings to be left handed were discouraged more than my memory allows me to recall. Fascinating post. Thanks for the ‘Follow’, Jenny.
I know a few people who were naturally left handed who were discouraged from continuing in this sinister fashion. Thank goodness this practice no longer exists. Although good handwriting tuition has gone completely out the window these days as more of our students use technology to write their essays!
My late father was a ambidextrous. He could write with both hands. SIMULTANEOUSLY !
It was just writing. I’m not certain either hand made much sense, though. 🙂
Wow! That’s quite a skill. Useful too, while decorating. He could probably finish a room in half the time😆