Left-handers...how have you adapted?

[mjr]

I'm a Southpaw myself. Have been my whole life.

I think, though, I'm not what's considered a "true" left-hander, but according to medical science (AFAIK), since I write left-handed, I am left handed.

I throw left-handed. I kick a ball with my left foot. I bowl left handed (but not overhand ). I also eat left handed, and use scissors left-handed (which makes finding scissors interesting). What's interesting is that when I eat, if I have to cut food, I will put the knife in my left hand, and the fork in my right. I'll cut the food, put the knife down, switch the fork to my left hand, and eat like that.

My mother learned to eat left-handed after she broke her left arm when she was a kid.

I also write left-handed, which is apparently the determining factor.

Some things I do right-handed:

-- use my computer mouse
-- play guitar

Those are the two main things I can think of, but I'm sure there are others.

So, fellow left-handers, how have you adapted to this "right-handed" world?

[Luna Baby]

I am left handed. However, the only things I do strictly left handed are write and eat. Everything else, I either use my right hand or can use either. Growing up, my grandparents were the only other lefties I knew so Grandma taught me to tie my shoes. She was probably who I watched write so that I knew not to turn my hand upside down. For me with writing, it just makes more sense to push the pen than to pull the pen.

My uncle, close in age, taught me all the other stuff us country kids did-baseball, archery, guns, etc. I learned to do them all right handed, but because I wasn't confident in my skills, I tried both left and right and felt equally comfortable in most aspects.

As for adapting, if I have a choice, I always choose the seat on the left end so that I can eat and not elbow someone. Now, if I could figure out how to write in the checkbook easier (3 ring up the left hand side.....)

[HotelMinion]

I'm a lefty too. My family was originally from a 3rd world country that is very superstitious, and lefties were...converted. Lefties there were considered cursed or unlucky, so my grandma tried teach me "right" (heh). Luckily, we moved here where no one thinks you're evil. However, since the majority were righties, I got a lot of strange looks in school from kids who ever saw a lefty before, they ever said anything about it though. My hand was always dirtied from pencil or ink. The only trouble that I remember having was when I took martial arts. WE had to do jump kick and since I couldn't balance well on the right foot, my kick looked really weird.
Oh yeah and when I was learning to drive and the pedals were on the right, I couldn't control my pressure on the gas so I would tell my right foot to lightly tap it and it would slam it. Nearly caused a lot of accidents. Even now that sometimes happens....

[mjr]

I'm a lefty too. My family was originally from a 3rd world country that is very superstitious, and lefties were...converted. Lefties there were considered cursed or unlucky, so my grandma tried teach me "right" (heh). Luckily, we moved here where no one thinks you're evil. However, since the majority were righties, I got a lot of strange looks in school from kids who ever saw a lefty before, they ever said anything about it though. My hand was always dirtied from pencil or ink. The only trouble that I remember having was when I took martial arts. WE had to do jump kick and since I couldn't balance well on the right foot, my kick looked really weird.
Oh yeah and when I was learning to drive and the pedals were on the right, I couldn't control my pressure on the gas so I would tell my right foot to lightly tap it and it would slam it. Nearly caused a lot of accidents. Even now that sometimes happens....

Thankfully, I never got the "converted" treatment. I've heard that some people actually ended up with problems because of that.

It's interesting to me, because both of my parents are right-handed, and my sister is right-handed.

My wife writes with her right hand, but only because when she was a little girl she asked her mother, and her mother told her she was a righty. I guess a teacher asked or something. My wife, however, does think she's possibly ambidextrous. We think our son might be, too. He writes lefty, but we don't know if he really is, or if he was just "mirroring" my wife and other right handers when he was learning how. But he does other things with his right hand. So I guess we'll see when he gets older.

Another "interesting" thing I do is wear a watch (when I wear one) on my left wrist. I wear it there because even though I'm left handed, it feels more comfortable. Left-handers are "supposed to" wear a watch on their right hand. I guess because it's "out of the way" and on your less used hand. But it always felt weird to me. Aside from that, it's hard to find "left handed" watches that aren't more than I want to pay.

[drunkenwildmage]

Lefty here.. I think my Dad was born left handed but was converted to write handing sometime after he started school. I pretty much do everything left handed expect use my trackball/mouse, swing a baseball bat and golf, and I think the bat was just an extension of my golfing righted. When I first started golfing, all i had access to was right handed clubs, so that's all I ever used. As I have grown older, it seems like it's more common to see someone who is left handed. When I was in school, I would guess the left handed:right ration was around 1:20, and now I'm thinking it's more like 1:10.

[mjr]

When I was in school, I would guess the left handed:right ration was around 1:20, and now I'm thinking it's more like 1:10.

General population it's around 1:10 or so. Depending on the type of field you work in, the ratio may be higher. I work in the tech industry, and I know a few others up here who are left handed. The ratio is way different. In fact, I'm left handed, the woman who sits next to me is left handed, I think our QA guy is left handed. Another guy I know who works up here is left handed...

It can come in handy in certain sports, too.

[Bardmaiden]

I am right handed but my mum is sinister (aka a lefty). I automatically lay a table left handed and to some degree can use my left hand rather well, except writing but then my hand writing isn't the best anyway All because my mum taught me a lot of things so I learnt the left handed way...

[Monterey Jack]

"Daddy, what's a 'Southpaw'...?" [cookies for reference]

[bbbr]

I'm the only lefty in the family going back at least 4 generations to my great-grandfather and I was the bane of my grade school teachers (once more, the only lefty around). One the plus side, I did get my own scissors as no one else could ever use them.

As a lefty, I've wind up being vaguely ambidextrous as there just isn't a whole lot of choice- Shooting sports, basketball (but not baseball), the shifting mechanisms on my bikes are all things I've had to learn how to do with the the "wrong hand". I had a left handed hammer (home despot made one where the grip was designed to fit the left hand specifically) and it was all sorts of weird to use. Using a computer mouse with my left hand is just awkward at this point as the ones in grade school were all setup for righties. My work shop in the factory I'm in was setup specifically to accommodate my left handedness as much as possible. My backup was also left handed so it worked perfectly for him; the righties I've had to train are all sorts of screwed up and uncomfortable until they adapt or just give up in frustration (quitters). I view it as revenge for 39 years of operating in a right handed world.

Driving in Ireland on the left last week was a breeze and not an issue at all once I got used to the clutch in my rental car. I don't know why everyone I talked to about doing it was so freaked out...

[Kittish]

I'm left handed, leaning toward ambidextrous. I use scissors and cut food with my right hand. Delicate cutting (x-acto knives and such) I tend to use my left hand, because I have better fine control than with my right. My mouse is on the left, it's an ambidextrous trackball. The buttons, however, are NOT reversed. And I'm going to be a very, very sad person if Logitech stops making this style of mouse. I can write with my right hand, very badly in block letters. It's legible, barely. I can't use scissors left handed, not even left handed ones. Pretty sure both of my parents are also left handed, and I was lucky enough not to ever run across anyone who tried to force me to use my right hand. I'd almost rather be able to write well with my right hand, the whole ink and pencil all over my hand and my paper being all smeared up is seriously old.

[Anubis' Pet]

Lefty here too - only one in my family - well as far as writing and using a knife (for cutting bread, fondant, spreading buttercream). Right handed for using a knife and fork. But I use either hand for scissors, throwing and catching, using a computer mouse, using smartphone/tablet, diy tools. There's probably a few other things too but I can't think what right now.

My daughter although fully right handed uses her knife and fork in a lefty way.

[jedimaster91]

Yay, all da lefties!!

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head that I use my right hand for is cutting with scissors. Back in grade school when I was learning to use scissors, there was one pair of lefty scissors and they didn't cut worth crap. So I used the righty ones.

I guess I also use a computer mouse right handed too. I think that's it though. Anything that requires any dexterity at all I use my left hand. Makes starting IVs for work fun sometimes, lol.

[wolfie]

As a lefty, I've wind up being vaguely ambidextrous as there just isn't a whole lot of choice- Shooting sports, basketball (but not baseball), the shifting mechanisms on my bikes are all things I've had to learn how to do with the the "wrong hand".

Rosco the Iroc would be a better one to talk to about this, but I can imagine the issues you'd have with (autoloading rifles) spent cases being ejected "out of the way" up and slightly to the left - and winding up in your face. My understanding is that the Canadian army's edition of the M-16 has a "lump" immediately behind the ejection port to send the spent cartridges SHARPLY to the left, to avoid getting in a southpaw's face. Bolt action rifles would be another fun one - have to take it out of the "ready" position in order to work the bolt. I wonder if Taurus makes a left-handed version of the Curve (pistol designed for concealed carry).

[ApolloSZ]

*Raises left hand* I'm a lefty too!
I've essentially become a non-perfect self taught ambidextrous for alot of things.
Sword fighting - Well, I prefer right handed, but as we can 'lose' a limb, plus one of our guys is left handed, I learnt both.
Computers - I do tech support, so became naturally fine with a left or right handed mouse. (Or even a right side left handed mouse, figure that one out :P).
Sports - Again, had to learn both ways, as was coached by right handers but left felt more natural. What made it all easier for me was being able to picture the mechanics of the movement etc then reverse it in my head made the transition easier.
Writing is almost always left handed tho. Even I can't read my writing if I try right handed.