| The floors of the living space of our home is | | | | first spontaneously grabs a toy. |
| completely laid with marble, cut out of limestone, and | | | | Having identified a left handed child positively, support |
| polished to a silvery sheen. It was cool for the tropics | | | | the child by helping him with writing and painting |
| and for the hot day. | | | | exercises. |
| But it was also slippery, especially if water is spilt on to | | | | Left handed kids have tensed-up hand position. When |
| it. | | | | they write with their left hand, they get tensed up |
| That was why, one fine day, our baby boy Vin who | | | | easier because they find it harder to see what they |
| was barely a toddler at three years old, stepped on his | | | | are writing. |
| split drink from his plastic cup, and fell. | | | | Therefore, the parent should lay the paper to the left |
| The doctor diagnosed a slight fracture on his left hand, | | | | of the child, and clockwise about 30 degrees to the |
| and after a few days in a sling, the fracture healed by | | | | right, with the hand held below the line on which the |
| itself as it was very slight, and he was well again. | | | | child is writing. |
| That taught us a lesson of home safety for kids. | | | | Teach the child to use his right hand to hold the paper |
| Always ensure the floors are dry if they are not | | | | on the right side. |
| carpeted. | | | | Should a parent force the left handed child to use his |
| But there was more to this. | | | | right? |
| I discovered Nature had a way to compensate for the | | | | The Green Cross emphasised that parents must |
| fracture. Very soon, it seemed Vin liked to use his left | | | | never force and try to train a left handed child to |
| hand that had been fractured before more often than | | | | become right-handed. Reasons? |
| his right, and that became his strong hand. | | | | The left-handed child will start to have concentration |
| He was using his left hand for writing, for playing with | | | | problems and difficulties, and also develop negative |
| the crayons, and for holding his toys. | | | | psychological effects later on in life. |
| He was a "leftie"! | | | | Did I force my son to be ambextrous aand to use |
| Questions raced through my mind. | | | | both his hands for writing? |
| Should I trained him against his natural desires to be | | | | When he was 10 years old, I took him to the largest |
| ambivalent - to use both hands for writing? Would it be | | | | Left-Handed Shop in the world. It was located in The |
| harmful to him emotionally and personally? How would | | | | Quay, in Sydney Harbor area. He was beaming with all |
| this affect him when he is older? Would he resent | | | | the toys, the utensils and everything else that was |
| having been forced against his will? | | | | designed for the left-handed world. Here inside this |
| What a dilemma it was! | | | | shop, he was able to find everything designed to meet |
| Let us see what the German advice center for | | | | his needs as a left-hander. |
| left-handers, "The Green Cross" in Marburg said. | | | | To this day, Vin is still left-handed and writes beautifully |
| The first test to apply is to identify the left-handed child. | | | | with his left hand. |
| This is easily done by observing with which hand he | | | | |