I’ve always considered myself to be an ambidextrous person which has made it necessary for me to read anything I can find on the subject. There are arguments and discussions both pro and con as to whether a person is really ambidextrous or just cross-dominant.  Cross-dominance apparently is defined as the ability to use either hand for specific tasks but not being able to use both hands for all tasks. That sounds confusing I know so further discussion is required.

As a child in elementary school I began writing with my left hand almost immediately.  Teachers in those days actually discouraged left-handedness and required those children to write with their right hands.  I was chastised enough that I soon learned to write right-handed and have been doing so ever since.  Oddly enough I can still right with my left but not quite as clearly.  This was just the start of right-handed people attempting to change me.  To a young kid it was a bit traumatic and created a great deal of confusion for me.

I was heavily into sports and the problem was again raised almost immediately.  As I began training I wasn’t sure which hand I wanted to throw with.  Attempts were made to force me into right-handedness but I fought against it this time.  The end result was a successful career as a baseball player who threw and batted both ways.  I pitched a number of Little League games over the years using either hand.  In one game I actually pitched a portion of a game right-handed and when my arm tired, finished the last few innings left-handed.  I felt good about it since it caused people to finally leave me alone to my mixed abilities.

Growing up our family was not wealthy or well-to-do so I was forced to make other compromises.  My father was an avid golfer and started me golfing at an early age.  I was taught to golf right-handed because the cost of left-handed clubs at that time was out of our reach.  Many years later as a joke I rented a set of left-handed clubs at a local course and actually shot a reasonably decent score much to my Dad’s surprise.  It took a while for me to make the adjustment back to left-handed but I was thrilled I was able to pull it off.

There are a few real benefits to being ambidextrous.  I can hammer and nail with both hands and I can paint with either hand (artistically or house painting).  It makes painting and hammering less tiring when you can switch off when necessary.  I also found I had an unusual ability to write with both hands simultaneously.  With my right hand I write normally and with the left I am able to write backwards.  It’s a useless talent but has won me me a lot of drinks in a lot of bars over the years. Also being able to pick one’s nose with either hand is an ability your all probably jealous of. I still have no answer as to which category I fall into but that’s okay,  it’s taken years but I’ve adjusted to it either way.

I only hope that kids with the same abilities aren’t still being manipulated to be something their not.  Whether your a lefty or a righty doesn’t really matter.  What does matter is that you be permitted to be what you are, not what someone else thinks you should be.