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Is your child left-handed ?

By Ijeoma Thomas-Odia
13 October 2018   |   4:04 am
Mr. Seye Olumide is a father to a left-handed son; he never bothered ‘correcting’ his son, because for him, most successful people are left-handed. Even though, his son’s teacher in school tried, they never succeeded. On the other hand, Mrs. Yetunde Ola has a left-handed son, too. She had forced him to change as she…

A left handed boy. Photo: standardmedia.co.ke<br />

Mr. Seye Olumide is a father to a left-handed son; he never bothered ‘correcting’ his son, because for him, most successful people are left-handed. Even though, his son’s teacher in school tried, they never succeeded.

On the other hand, Mrs. Yetunde Ola has a left-handed son, too. She had forced him to change as she considers it a bad omen.

Regrettably, her son ended up using both hands, as he is always not comfortable eating or writing with his right hand. Mrs. Ola said it is an act she wished she never ventured into.

Being left-handed comes naturally, even though it is not always easy to determine which hand a child uses most, because he or she is yet to also discover which is more dominant, says Mercy Christian, co-founder of MomsAreCaring.

“Some very young children use both hands at tender age, but time will tell on which hand they will be more dominant with.

I will encourage a parent of a left-handed child that there is no proof anywhere that using a left-hand is a bad omen.

It’s not even found in the Bible to further prove its disadvantage or its repercussions.

If not, why were we all created with left hands and what are their purposes. We all know it is also difficult to do things with just one hand when we have the support of the other hand.”

Parent should also note that sometimes a child’s interest in using the left-hand is believed to be genetically-inherited from someone in the family chain even if that person who used it no longer exists.

If at any point a parent discovers that his or her child picks more interest in using his left hand, I advise he encourage and support the child.

Praise the child and let him know how brave and courageous he is being a left-handed person.

Go as far as informing the child’s teacher so there won’t be any attempt to swap the child’s hand. If you have to support your left-handed child to write as a right-handed parent, sit beside him and hold his hand while you teach him. It’s simple!

“Trying to swap a child to use the wrong hand he is not used to from the beginning has a lot of psychological and academic effects on him.

Firstly, the child tends to struggle and forget most of the things taught or heard most times, which leads to poor memory, the child also develops poor hand writing which makes it difficult for one to read.”

The childcare and parenting counselor noted that although the society most especially in the African continent frowns at left-handed people with varying degrees of past tradition, she said: “In those days, when a person wanted to consult a native doctor for something, the oracle would ask the person to present his left palm for revelation.

Again, he would be asked to drop or pick something with his left hand, and that is how the tradition has reflected through to the 21st century we are today.

Sadly, this kind of belief has affected a lot of us, as we believe these without any tangible proof of any negativity attached to being left-handed.

Christian added that it’s never the child’s fault, neither is it a disability. “It is absolutely normal and that is the way God created him.

For a child to be born to use his left-hand shows there is a purpose for it just like every right-handed person has his own purpose, too. Everyone doesn’t have to be using right hand to do things or write.

In my humble opinion, I think it could have been boring if that happened, that’s why the Almighty chose to make it differently to some people.”

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