Traditional beliefs versus facts

I was at a meeting recently which got prolonged by long presentations. I moved out of the hall to have a break from prolonged listening.

At the foyer, this toddler was playing with the lid of the waste basket and enjoying the swinging movement of the two flaps. He was oblivious of some of us watching this, including his mother. After about five minutes, his mother took him away to the courtyard. But he insisted to return. His mother finally gave in. 

As a developmentalist, I watched his dominant handedness, which was left. I was impressed with his dexterity, co-ordination, attention and exploratory instinct. His was an activity which any toddler would do if the activity offered a  feel of novelty to the child.

However, I overheard some adults commenting about his left handedness. They spoke about it as if it is not good enough for a child. They had a discussion about how awkward it is to be left handed. I felt disturbed by the 'arrogant' and 'small mindedness' of these highly educated professionals, who lost sight of the immense visual feast the toddler offered, by his dexterous activity of engagement and exploration and became pre-occupied by his preference for using left hand as a dominant hand. 

This mindless comments which parents, teachers and others offer to a child who prefers to use left hand for daily living activities, can confuse a child emotionally and behaviourally. When his brain has conditioned him to be left handed, it is good to accept him or her as someone who belongs to the group of about 20 percent of child population who would be naturally  left handers. The exception is if the left handedness is because of any weakness of the right hand, in which case we ned to look at differently.  Otherwise any attempt of the adults  to change this, is a disservice to a child neuro-developmentally. 

We need to accept those who choose to use left hand by choice as normal and not as an exception. Let us encourage adults to bury the social taboos associated with this.  

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)