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From: andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Andrew W. Rogers)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: Changing Left-handedness to Right-handedness
Message-ID: <552@grkermi.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 17:34:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: grkermi.552
Posted: Wed Aug 14 17:34:36 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 23:46:33 EDT
References: <1076@ihlpg.UUCP>
Reply-To: andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Andrew W. Rogers)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 31

> A friend's preschooler always seemed to prefer using his left hand.

So?  A lot of people are left-handed.  At one time, I was the only rightie
in a 14-person software development group!  My wife is left-handed, but
her identical twin is right-handed... figure that one out!

> His mother has been trying to change him into a right hander.

Bad idea (see below)!  Of course, objecting to it would be advocating
"permissiveness", wouldn't it?

> She bought him a toy baseball glove for right handers, and when she
> takes out the coloring books, she instructs him to use his right hand
> "so he'll have fewer problems when he goes to school."

He'll have a hell of a lot *more* problems when he goes to school if she
insists on forcing him to switch hands!  My grandparents did the same thing
to my father 60 years ago, and to this day he has trouble telling his left
from his right.  (It almost cost all three of us our lives when he had to
make a quick decision on which way he was supposed to turn while driving
in an unfamiliar area and ended up going the wrong way on a divided highway.)

> When he was a toddler, she refused to hand him any candy, toys,
> or other objects until he finally reached with his right hand.

Great!  Treat your son like a rat in a Skinner box!  Why doesn't she just
ring a bell when it's time for him to eat, too?

> 	Frank Silbermann

Andrew W. Rogers