How do you switch left-handers to become right-handed?

Question

I have a soon to be 2 yr old daughter who I am sure is left-handed. I don't want her to be left-handed. No matter how often I tell her to hold her spoon with her right hand, she will switch back to her left when I am not looking. I would not give her treats unless she takes them with her right hand. Recently she has been scribbling and she does that with her left hand too. I never expected to have a left-handed child... both my husband and I are right-handed.

What should I do to convert her? spank her?

I have a left-handed friend who was converted to become right handed. Her mum tied her left hand to the back of the chair so she wouldn't write it it.

Answer 1

ohmy god...shes just two..her brain is still developing...give it some time and dont push it on her.. dont spank her for it..and i hope that thing with yer friend is just a something somebody told you..thats cruel...being mean isnt a way to make the braion work...it will actually be a bad experiance for the child...dont spank her..my daughter used her left hand for everything..now she uses mostly her right...( shell be in school soon..so they will push for her to use a certain hand im sure)

Answer 2

You make me sick. I am left handed and very proud of it! My great uncle was left handed and back then everyone thought it was the work of the devil and made him switch to right hand. Now he can use both hands to do things, so you will never change her. Left handers are brilliant people. They are very artistic and creative. I hope that if you spank her or tie her hand behind her back Child Protective Services takes her away from you! You are a horrible mother for thinking not giving her treats when she uses her left hand. Don't you know what you are doing to your child?! Maybe you should have grown up a little bit before having children.

Answer 3

I am left handed.



I grew up in a family of all right handers.



I was spanked, had my homework torn from my book by my dad because it wa done with the 'wrong' hand, was teased, tormented about being 'the devils child', and was basically tortured over being left handed...



I am still left handed... none of that stuff helped or changed me.



allow your child to be who she is... you can play games of writing with this hand and the writing with that hand...and encourage use of both hands as this can be helpful in developing her brain but do not reward or punish her in anyway for using one hand or the other. Some kids will alternate for a few years between one hand or the other, some kids adopt the hand their classmates use when they start school... some kids just are left handed or right handed and stay that way....



It is no big deal..



If she remains left handed simpy remember to buy her left-handed scissors to use remember that to you she will look awkward when she is writing.

Answer 4

Dear God please let this be a joke. What's the problem - you think this is an imperfection? Do you think this imperfection reflects on you? Seriously if you do any of those things you deserve a visit from CPS and your daughter deserves to be placed in a more loving and accepting household.



Go back and read what you wrote, does that sound like a loving parent? If you think so I suggest YOU GO TO A PSYCHIATRIST!



P.S. So you are now saying just because you don't live in the Western world, you have to let others decide how to raise YOUR child? I don't care where you are from - just because some cultures think they can get a wife by stealing them and raping them doesn't make it okay. There is no excuse for being abusive to your child -whether your culture accepts it or not.

Answer 5

Don't do anything! If she's left handed, she's left handed. Trying to change her could cause problems down the road, like bad handwriting. If she's meant to use her left hand, then she's probably better off doing things with that hand, even just for stability and safety purposes. It will be her more coordinated hand, and trying to force her to do things with her right could make her apppear less coordinated down the road. Being left handed is certainly not something to punish over...don't spank her, because it's not her fault that her left hand is more comfortable.



Sure, being left-handed has its disadvantages (like ink or graphite on the side of your hand from dragging it over what you've written, or having certain things (sports, in particular) being taught for predominantly right-handers, which makes certain motions not feel natural), but in the long run converting her really has no purpose. Instead, you could encourage use of both hands, rather than one at the exclusion of the other. Being ambidextrous definitely has perks...like for sports....even for something silly like cutting food....I don't have to put down my knife AND switch my fork into the other hand because while cutting with my left is more comfortable, I have no problem eating with my right.



Being left-handed is not the end of the world...so let her explore it and if she eventually switches to her right hand, great. If not, she's extra special :)

Answer 6

I echo pretty much everyone else here - I'm left handed as well. Never had an issue, yeah I had to learn to use scissors with my right hand, but you know what, now they even make lefty scissors! Check out the first link in my sources that has famous people (including presidents of US, whoa, imagine that!) who were left handed. I pray for your poor little girl. Being left handed is in how she's wired, not a defiant act she needs to be punished for. You are really messing with her mind when you 'reward' her for using the hand doesn't come natural to her.



What I really don't understand is...WHY? What's the difference?

Answer 7

Your kidding me!?!?! Why would you do this? I am left handed and there is nothing wrong with it. All three of my children are right handed and I would of loved for one of them to be also. But that is the way God made them and I would never change it. I have never heard of people punishing their child because of the way they were born. Just let it go and do not take away treats from her because she uses her left hand. Since you are right handed and act this way, I can honestly tell you that left handed people are smarter because the are always in their right mind.

Answer 8

I know somebody that was left handed and forced to become right handed. It messed him up pretty good. He still has writing problems.



As others have pointed out, this is not the 1800's. There is no shame in being left handed. There is only shame in the ignorance of parents who believe this is a problem.



If you love your child, let her be herself, which apparently is left handed.

Answer 9

Theres nothing wrong with being a left handed person. The brain decides the hand. Left handed people are better at art and music. Be proud that you have a child with that abilities and that she even has two hands. Be greatful for what you have and not what you don't. Ask her pedatriciatan.

Answer 10

In the old days it was said that to be left-handed was to be of the devil! Surely you aren't thinking like that!I was made to switch when I started school, the teacher did it to anyone that used the left hand. I was made to feel degraded and bad.It was not a good beginning. My handwriting suffered also. I had been writing family names and small words before school age.I did a research paper on left-handedness in college. My information was all opposite of what most people thought,especially some of the old medical and psychological manuals. The left-handed people I interviewed were all above ave. to genius in intelligence. Their use of the left didn't hinder them in the least. When allowed to be themselves and not marked as wrong or different the kids were able to succeed in school and have great self-esteem. I worry about your daughter's esteem if you have already started letting her know that she is doing something wrong all the time.Never use treats to train anyway because kids need to learn to want to achieve just for themselves. My 3 siblings were righties and we had all righties except two. Both of them are very intelligent and successful in their careers.My sister sat across from and faced my niece to teach her crochet because it was the perfect solution to the left-handedness. I do hope you will allow your child to be herself and never put that doubt of being bad or wrong into her little heart. God made us just like He wanted. Celebrate her uniqueness!

Answer 11

quick question: why is the whole left hand thing a problem?



Your daughter is very lucky if she is left handed. 60% of all persons who are left handed are more prone to being able to use both of their hands. This statistic is increased to a whopping 95% at or around the age of your daughter.



Moving along, if you don't like the fact that your daughter is left handed and you want to punish her for it...





...your sick. You need help lady and judging by your spelling and way your feel about the whole left handedness, I'm guessing your british.

Answer 12

There is nothing wrong with someone being left-handed. Back in the old days they used to think it was a handicap, but people that are left handed are more creative than righ-handers. Leave her be. Tying a child's hand to a chair is abuse, and withholding food is also abuse. You do not deserve to have a child!!

Answer 13

Y on earth would you post a ? like that? i'm right handed big deal i dont think anymore about myself then i do the crippled kid down the road! If you do this too your child try to hide what makes her special what makes her different in her own way when she gets older she will hate you and she will do what she wants too! You spank that child and i hope someone calls social services on you and takes her away from you what a horrible mother not to love her child for w ho she is shell never be accepted by you becasue in your eyes shell never be good enough i hope your child finds a new home!!

Answer 14

First of of...What the hell is wrong with you??? ARe you that Crazy? No Offense but what Is wrong with you? What is the damm difference? if you have a left handed Child?? Do you think there might be something wrong with your daughter that she is Left handed? This is such an Old Old question.



Years ago and I mean like 50 or soo years ago People thought having a left handed child..well they thought something was wrong with them because society made them think that. Because the Majority of the world is Right Handed.



My Grandmother used to Force me (according to my mom) to put things in my right hand when I was trying to hold stuff in my left hand. My Left hand being the more dominant of the 2. My Grandma kept saying to my mom..."what is wrong with her?" and 'you have to force her to put things in her right hand!" Now My Mother was/is smart and just simply said several times over..."leave her alone" "What is the big deal?" My Grandmother would respond and say "This simply is not the way she is suppose to be and this isn't right" Anyway....after numerous times my grandmother finally shut the f uck Up!!!



Obviously you can guess by now I am a Lefty and I turned out Perfectly Fine!!! I am Normal, I am sane, I am Very Intelligent, I have Wonderful Social skills, I have Many Friends, I went to College, I had a Very High Paying Successful Job on Wall Street and now I am Married and have a family and a stay at home Mom. I choose to do this all because this is how I wanted my life to be not because of me being a Lefty or not having choices cause I wasn't a Right handed user of a person.



The Reality is that I am Unique...cause I am a Lefty and I like that. I am Quite Proud of it. Not many are Leftys out there...like I said the Majority are Rightys!!



And if you really Want to get technical well....If you didn't know Already but the Right Side of the body Controls the Left Side of the Brain and the Left Side of the Body Controls the Right side of the Brain.....Soooo Therefore Left Handed People are the ones that are in their Right Mind!!!



And Also, You Make Me Sick to even suggest to want to tie your childs arm back...just cause it doesn't suit your stupid outlook IN Life!!! And your friend who did that to her child should be in Jail for Abusive behavior!! How Dare you Tie a kids arm back cause Old Society thinks it was wrong!!



Also, Way way way back in the day people used to kill Left handed people cause they thought they were witches!! I am talking about well over 100 hundred of years ago!!



Bottom Line Leave your Daughter Alone...let her do what she wants to do and make her feel comfortable and make her feel like she is doing Great by actually holding a spoon or trying to do whatever makes her feel Good! Sheesh! I freaken feel bad for your daughter when she isn't doing 100% in your Ignorant eyes while in schoo when she gets older! Godforbid she learns to ride a bike while starting with the wrong foot or her putting her shoes on the correct feet but the Left one First!!! LIghten up and enjoy your kid and stop worrying what hand she will ultimately use to write and start worrying about her wellbeing and emotional and physical security. Cause if you keep this up you are going to scar her for Life!!!



Ugh...You Clearly Pissed off a Lefty!!!





Oh and why don't YOU HAVE Your Husband tie your hand back to a chair and see how you feel? What is wrong with You???? Why Don't you just put her in handcuffs???? If you do what has been done to your friend then you are a s hitty Mother!!! Seriously Worry about the bigger stuff in life...and don't sweat the small Stuff!!!



I hope I set you Straight! Still Good Luck and God Bless!!



I am just a straight up to the point personality and pretty much focus on not making your daughter miserable!! Just Love her!! That is all you need to do!

Answer 15

why would you want your child to be something she is not? she's healthy... happy i assume... LET HER BE!



i have one son that is left handed. it really DOES NOT EFFECT either of us. it was a LITTLE difficult teaching him to tie his shoes... SOME issues with showing him how to throw a ball (baseball)... SOME issues teaching him to golf.... BUT, a person that is left handed SHOULD NEVER be "converted". it actually has a negative effect on a child to make them use a hand they were never intended to use as dominent! PLEASE do some research on this. people that are left handed use a different part of their brains than right handed people...changing what they are can cause confusion and delayed learning! ENCOURAGE your child to use her LEFT HAND! let your daughter know that you accept her for who she is! being a "lefty" at school is cool (says my 10 year old). he is a pitcher on his baseball team now (they prefer leftys for that position!) he's an excellent golfer. He is the smartest child i have HANDS DOWN :) .



here's a site that you may find helpful. encourage your daughter to develope using her full potential!

http://www.left-handed.com/

Answer 16

Her brain's right half is more developed than the left half. She will remain left- handed. Do not try to change her. The right half of the brain also has centres for music , mathematics and art. Maybe she will be talented in these areas.

Do not let her feel that she is being naught or a freak.

Answer 17

I'm not sure what the big deal is...but I think you are kinda weird. I mean, it's almost as if you are trying to make your daughter into something you want her to be, and take away from her who she really is. That's sad. If you spank her for that, as you mentioned...you really don't deserve to have a daughter. That is no reason to punish a child and you are a horrible selfish woman if that is how you deal with it. You need to worry about other things in life. This is seriously one of the stupidest things I have ever heard.

Answer 18

What's the difference. Just be happy she was born with two hands. What if she had ONLY her left hand?? what would you have to say?? Why would you wanna spank a child just because she is left handed? You didn't create her, GOD did. Just be happy she is healthy and has two hands to use. You sond very selfish to me. You need serious help. I'm gonna put you on my prayer list!

Answer 19

Are you emotionally stable to be raising this child? Why would you want to make this child something she isnt?



What hand you eat or write with doesnt change your heart.



You keep this up and you're going to have alot more to worry about than which hand she writes with.....you'll have plenty of time to contemplate your next move while in the waiting room at the behavioral mental health clinic!

Answer 20

There's nothing wrong with being left handed. You act as if it's a disease or a sin. My husband and I are both right handed, but one of our children turned out to be left handed. He never had any problem with this. It just means his right brain is dominant. Your going to make your child nuts if you force her to be what she isn't naturally. And NO don't spank her.

Answer 21

That is just cruel you cant punish a child for something thats not there fault....what is soo wrong with left handed people? i am left handed and i turned out fine....i just dont think its right to "convert" your child just because you dont want her to be left handed!!!! And just because you and your husband are right handed doesnt mean a damn thing ia m the only one in my whole family that is left handed so it has nothing to do with it....

Answer 22

Simple...and Short.



You need to get over it. Your child is left handed...BIG deal. Not like she's going to be a serial killer because she's left handed.



You know maybe she uses her left hand cause she is mirroring you....across the table...your right is her left....



Just get over it and let her b....she's an individual not a molding of you or your husband

Answer 23

why would you want to? what difference does it make? surely you don't believe it causes them to be a criminal or something!

trying to change that is not a good thing for the child. her brain is made up to work a certain way, trying to change that will cause stress and other things to her.

there is no reason why she can't live a full, productive life as a lefty. left handed people work on the right side of their brains. this is where creativity comes from. art...music...literature...why would you want to deny her that pleasure???

Answer 24

You are crazy! Her penmanship will be sloppier, her eating will be sloppier, and overall she will be uncomfortable if she is forced to use her right hand. Left-handed people get along just fine in this world, trust me. It doesn't make a difference, and to spank her for a predipositional trait is ridiculous. It is like spanking your child because she has big ears or because she gets sick too much.

Answer 25

No No No! Do not convert her!!! Let her be what she was born to be! My husband & I are right handed & were quite surprised to have our first baby be a lefty. They say left handed people are great in school, go with the flow of things, & have a more optmistic look on life....I say let her be!

Answer 26

don't try to convert her. it's like saying how can i switch my daughter from having brown eyes to having blue eyes, i never expected a brown eyed child so should i spank her to make her change them to blue. being left handed is just the way she's made. if you're already thinking about trying to spank her into compliance to your unreasonable expectations when she's only 2, i feel very sorry for her as she gets older and starts thinking for herself.

Answer 27

never ever spank a child. it lowers the iq and causes many many problems.



don't try to change her handedness.



you will severely destroy her mind by continuing to do this. .



what on earth is wrong with you, is my blunt reaction. your friend's mother was a child abuser.



left handed people are better in touch with both halves of their brains than the rest of us. please stop acting out of utter selfish ignorance.



is your poor child in day care? i think she must be for you to be so detached from her. leave her alone and go read a book right away on how to be decent to and respect your child.



frankly, you shock and sicken me. you are really scary as a mother. i hope you get help right away.

Answer 28

Ok, what is the big deal? Left handed people are very smart. You should let her be herself, Why would you want to change her? You going to spank her if her hair color isn't what you want too? I find this to be a very silly question. Its pretty sad when her own parents cant accept her for who she is.

Answer 29

There are times---and probably most times---when this should never be done. Left handed people are notmisfits; they are who they are supposed to be. Some of them have been the best inventors we have ever had.

Answer 30

Let her be unique! Just because you are right handed doesnt mean she has to be!

Shame on you for treating her like this! Even suggesting spanking a child just becuase she doesnt use the hand you want her to! Let her be a child for Heaven Sake !!

Answer 31

Leave her alone.

Would you try to change her eye color or her hair color if they weren't what you deemed acceptable?

Being left-handed is part of who she is. Don't create a powerstruggle over this.

Answer 32

Her brain is programed that way. a two year old isn't going to understand why your doing this. your psycho for doing this to your child. whats wrong with being left handed, i think its cool

Answer 33

there is absolutely NO reason to do it.. her brain is already programmed that way, she is right-brained. Left handed people are often brighter, i'm not sure why you would want to switch her? what is your reasoning? there is NOTHING wrong with being left handed, it doesnt hinder you in any way.

Answer 34

spank her for doing what comes naturally? would you spank her for her hair color? leave the child be. left-handed people are most often the creative, artistic folks among us. celebrate your daughters individuality, don't punish her or try to change who she is. this is not her "choice"- its your creation.

Answer 35

Isn't this 2006, I thought this went out of vogue in the 1800s.

Answer 36

what the hell is wrong with you! when a child is that young they uses BOTH hands to do everything with, left handed kids are gifted why try to take that away from her it's impossible! please get some help for your child sake! lady you are crazy, and you had the nerve to say spank her? someone needs to smack yo ***!

Answer 37

I also have a 4 yr old daughter who was mostly left handed from the time she was able to things on her own. i have found that gradual encouragement works, mostly during the early years & wen she started going to pre school i asked the teachers to encourage her to use her right hand espeacially when learnig to write. don't despair.........................

Answer 38

leave her the hell alone! so what if she eats with the hand she wipes her *** with, they make soap. wash her hands for god sake! I'm left handed and perfectly normal. and both of my parents are right handed.

Answer 39

What difference does it make? Leave the child to develop on her own.

Answer 40

You are crazy- she's 2 let her be there is nothing wrong with her

Answer 41

All kids will do that kind of stuff at that age you cant tell if they will be righty or lefty just give em time RELAX

Answer 42

times have changed! there is nothing wrong with being left handed! why does it bother you?

Answer 43

What the hell difference does it make if she's left-handed?!

Answer 44

No one should be punished for the hand their brain is automatically telling them to use. It is not her fault!

Answer 45

shes left handed, not a serial killer, leave her alone

Answer 46

They'll let any idiot have a baby, won't they?

Answer 47

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ? WHY TRY CHANGE SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WHETHER YOU WANT IT TO OR NOT? AND YOUR FRIEND NEEDS SERIOUS MENTAL HELP!!