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02 December 2009 @ 10:56 pm

I'm trying to get caught up on birthday ficlets and my Sweet Charity story and a Dean story I started over the weekend for

writers_choice that had better not go over-length like that Burn Notice fic did!

I successfully finished the

mini_wrimo challenge, writing all 30 days and completing 5900+ words in November. There are still two "hidden" offerings because they're not finished yet (see above), but I hope to post them eventually. As in, one of them within the week and the other before 2010. Yeah, that's how those Sweet Charity things always go...

Speaking of

writers_choice, some of you might enjoy this beautiful PotC Jack/Will (PG) story that

romankate posted earlier this week. Lush language, gorgeous tone and subject, and all in about 200 words!

On the home front, remember me mentioning that Christopher's broken wrist might provide the chance for him to discover whether or not he's left-handed? After 3 days back in school, he's starting to really wonder about it himself. The left-handed writing is slow of course (no practice at it), but it is immediately more legible than his right-handed work (the cursive may be about the same, but the right-handed cursive was pretty good. The printing was chicken-scratch-awful).

Now you might be thinking, why is this coming up when he's 10? Shouldn't this have settled out by now?

Well, no. There's a downside to the high level of ambidexterity that runs on my father's side of the family, which is that the non-dominant hand is so good at doing most things that if you're LEFT-handed it might take you awhile to realize it. Most of the world is right-handed, so you'll try that first, and if it seems to work then you'll probably assume you're right-handed. If you are, no harm done. But if you're not...

When he was nearly six, Christopher found out that he was left-eye dominant, which usually correlates to the dominant hand. So we'll see how this goes. I'm hoping that by the time the cast comes off in 5 weeks, he'll know for sure which he is.

Tags: my_kids, recs

6 comments | Say what you feel

6 comments —

( 6 comments — Say what you feel )

blackcat333_99 on December 3rd, 2009 08:28 am (UTC)

As a leftie myself, I can testify to how much being ambidextrous can mess with perception in dominant-handedness. Because yes, most things out there are designed with right hand dominant tendencies in mind. I catch, throw, and carry weight better on my right side. I can cut, angle things, etc based on convenience of position because both right and left get the job done. Playing piano was using both hands, playing trumpet was utilizing my right hand for fingering positions on the keys, etc... I can write with poor legibility with my right hand, but writing with my left hand is far better. It's a weird world to live in, but most times I don't even think about it, I just go with what feels most comfortable and convenient at the time. Heck, playing pool some days I'm more comfortable leading a shot with my right, and other days I cannot and only feel comfortable leading with my left. The upside is -- being ambidextrous, not just exclusively one-side dominant, can open your options, rather than limiting them. Hope your son feels that way. :)

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halfshellvenus on December 3rd, 2009 08:53 am (UTC)

:D I hope so too-- obviously, he's very good with his right hand. EXCEPT for the writing.

My Dad is ambidextrous, but I'm not sure whether my oldest sister and brother are. The three youngest girls all are.

These leads to trouble telling left from right when giving directions (because L/R have no real "weight" to them-- there's no big pull to one side). It also leads to doing a lot of things with the closest or available hand.

My mother mentioned that my next-older-sister often does things backwards when she uses the "wrong" hand, as in trying to turn the doorknob the non-opening way. "It's like she's mirroring everything." I told her that 'mirroring' is exactly what the other hand wants to do, which is why you have to stop yourself sometimes and think about it. Thank goodness my husband taught me the "Right-tighty, left-loosey" hint for screwdrivers, because THAT used to come up all the time.

My mother is very right-handed, and it wasn't until recently that I realized this might be an area in which she is 'alien' inside her own family. The other is that 'mindspeak' thing where everyone BUT her knows what the missing noun in the conversation is, as if there's some ESP wavelength she's not tuned into.

Mainly, I want Christopher to choose the correct hand for writing and really major fine-motor-control tasks (for instance, his ability to draw has not progressed beyond about age 5 using that right hand). But for the rest... it's all convenience, until you run into some stupid pair of scissors that is right-handed instead of omni-usable. :0

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astrothsknot on December 3rd, 2009 10:14 am (UTC)

My optician always told me that if you were left eye dominant you were right hand and vice versa. I'm left eye dominant and very right handed.

Are you left handed?

Edited at 2009-12-03 10:16 am (UTC)

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halfshellvenus on December 3rd, 2009 06:31 pm (UTC)

I'm right-handed, but fairly ambidextrous.

I've seen Christopher do things like move tiny game pieces repeatedly with his left hand, and he mentioned a little over a year ago that the "pencil grip" he struggles with (holding it the right way rather than "fisting" it) happens naturally when he picks up the pencil with his left hand. That was one of the first things that made me suspicious...

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brigid_tanner on December 3rd, 2009 01:12 pm (UTC)

Maybe he'll wind up printing with the left and cursive writing with the right ;0 And doing other things depending on what's easier. I think being ambidexterous would be a cool thing! Except for that turning left and right....

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halfshellvenus on December 3rd, 2009 06:33 pm (UTC)

I think being ambidexterous would be a cool thing! Except for that turning left and right....

That last part is mostly annoying to other people, because you can always visualize which way you mean and point to it. But if you try to say it out loud, the Left/Right part might as well be the product of a random-word-generator.

When I was a teenager, I used to think it was hilarious that my Dad had that Left/Right problem. Until around age 20, when it started happening to me. :0

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