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18th July 2024
10:48am BST
However, it would seem that some people are still living in the past, according to one mother.
The woman wrote to Quora, a popular online forum, about how her parents are trying to control how her son writes and they would rather if he wasn't left-handed
"My son is a four-year-old leftie," she wrote.
"My parents so desperately want him to use his right hand that they are resorting to threats."
The woman asked for advice on how best to approach the situation. Obviously, we like to look to our parents for childrearing advice, but this is an unconventional case.
Many stressed the importance of letting the child stay left-handed as it could present issues later on.
"You should leave him as he is. People who are left-handed have different brain 'wiring' from those who are right-handed. Forcing them to be right-handed can seriously screw up their mental development," one user said.
Some were more focused on the parents wanting control over the mother: "You need to protect your child from abusive grandparents. Why would you allow them to threaten him."
Many of the commenters also had sympathy for the son.
One person wrote: "My mother was a leftie and in first grade, they tied her left hand behind her back to force her to become a rightie. She began stuttering. They never made her a rightie but it took years for her to overcome her stuttering."
While it's unknown why these parents want their grandson to be right-handed so desperately, it's likely due to the stigma that's been present for decades.
Some believe that this bias was caused by religious beliefs, and that the left hand represented evil.
Regardless of the reason, it's clear that children shouldn't be forced to be right-handed.
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