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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!hao!menlo70!nsc!nessus
From: nessus@nsc.UUCP (Kchula-Rrit)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Handedness
Message-ID: <487@nsc.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 14-Nov-83 21:30:18 EST
Article-I.D.: nsc.487
Posted: Mon Nov 14 21:30:18 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 16-Nov-83 07:34:29 EST
Organization: National Semiconductor, Sunnyvale
Lines: 31


     Please DO NOT force your children to "conform" by using their right hands
when they show a leaning towards left-handedness!!  It is best that they use
which hand they are most comfortable with.  I've known too many people who have
been MESSED UP by such things.  I was fortunate that my family did not try to
make me right-handed.

     I have no trouble with {right-handed} scissors; in fact I cannot use left-
handed scissors.  This created a few problems in school, but once again I was
fortunate.  Softball gloves are a great disadvantage for me not because I am
left-handed, but because I both throw and catch with my left hand.  This
"problem" I solved by playing not wearing a glove while playing softball.  I
never played baseball with a "hard ball" for this reason.

     In primary school, I used to imitate the people around me, with the one
exception wrt use of the right hand.  I merely substituted the left hand for the
right hand whenever I could get away with it.  Being left-handed has never
stopped me from doing whatever I wanted to do in life.

     If I have any wierd feelings on growing up left-handed in a right-handed
world, it is the unthinking engineers/designers of a lot of equipment in not
considering the possibility of a user that may use the other hand.  Numeric
keypads come to mind immediately because the terminal I use has one on the right
side of the keyboard.  Can openers are another household item.

    Anyways, this is getting rather long.

					Kchula-Rrit

					menlo70!nsc!nessus