My Lefty Legacy

  I am a very proud lefty. It's who I am and I've always felt I was special for being left-handed. My grandmother was a lefty. My great Uncle Doug is a lefty. So it's only fitting that I would want to pass that left-handed gene on to another generation.

  Over the last few months I've noticed Benjamin beginning to show a bias to his left hand when picking up objects or throwing (which thankfully he hasn't broken anything...yet). He likes to pick up his whiffle ball and throw it with his left hand. When he wants to show us an object he presents it to us with his left hand.

  There has been much research on southpaws over the years. Studies have shown that many Nobel winners and U.S. Presidents have been lefties. In fact, 6 of the last 14 Presidents have been left-handed dating all the way back to Herbert Hoover in 1929. (My Uncle Ron is smiling right now.) Considering lefties make up 7-10% of the population that's a pretty interesting statistic on Presidents.

  As Benjamin was starting to show this bias I piped up to Cathy, "See he's doing it with his left."

  To which she replied, "Honey, I don't care if he's left or right-handed."

  So typical. You righties don't care because you're not left-handed. You don't know what it's like to live in our world. To have almost every tool or object designed for you're non-dominant hand. To not be able to work on an art project in elementary school because they can't buy one pair of left-handed scissors for the weird kid. Or learning to catch a baseball at PE with a mitt on your left hand, hold the ball in your right so you can quickly toss the glove off your left hand and throw it home.

  We are special in many ways. Many artist and creatives are left-handed. So are intellectuals. I just hope that I can share my specialness with my son. That and develop a mean slider so he can get a fat, guaranteed contract and Daddy can retire early.