left hand right hand dilemma

Julian's teacher was concerned that because his writing was sloppy on tests that he might not be trying very hard. I was really concerned he had a sloppy attitude in class so we spent a bit of time talking about it, then we worked on some practice test problems.

We found that tests make him apprehensive, keeping him from completing all of the answers to the tests. When he does complete them he does just fine. He's a smart kid and he certainly seems to be trying his best, which as a parent is all you can hope for. So no evidence for a sloppy attitude or mind. So why the sloppy writing?

No matter how hard he tried to write neatly, he just couldn't do it. He was using his left hand so I thought well maybe that is not his dominant hand. I asked him to write with his right and it was about the same. I tried writing with my hand and my writing was so terrible his looked like it came out of a typewriter by comparison.

Turns out that in reception when he was deciding which hand to use he decided he wanted to stay good with both hands. So by trying to maintain his writing skill with both hands his ability to write with one neatly just didn't materialize.

I was blown away. How did I not know this about my son?

So we're now working on writing excercises. I'll get up early and leave him a funny book to copy as practice. He's also sticking with just using one hand.

It's a shame that folks assume certain things about our writing. My hand writing isn't great so I am typing this.

In this case writing sloppy writing is a reflection, no more, no less, of Julian actively deciding to write with both hands. Bless him for making his own choice and living with it. Makes you wonder how kids become right or left handed and whether we or they are making the right choice. What is the right choice even? There isn't one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness.

He just ran right out the door to play with a friend and has his right hand on the trigger of his Nerf gun. Go figure!