ambidextrous

aiden is ambidextrous.

they say that the TRUE test for ambidexterity is a TIME LAG when an individual is confronted with a task involving hands... contrary to popular opinion, which holds that ambidexterity is an asset in which both hands "know" how to cooperate and efficiently accomplish a task, in truth, real ambidexterity is the embodiment of a CONFLICT between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, each attempting to assert control. for individuals with "false" ambidexterity, there is always a bias towards one hand or the other, such that a reflex response will always summon up the resources of the "dominant" hand...

today, in my daily struggle to work through the violin bow grip with aiden, he actually accomplished a fair rendition, with his LEFT HAND. i was about to correct the finer points of his bow grip when i realized that he was doing it with his LEFT HAND, not his right, as we had trained him thus far...

the day before, aiden took up a pen in both hands, and proceeded to draw an awkward but recognizable picture with both... we have issues with his pencil grip; he tends to grab the pencil too high, and with more of a fist grip than a "bird's beak," so we have been really paying attention to this... but that day was the first time i realized that he was equally skilled (or clumsy, depending on your perspective) with both hands...

this is something lynn and i will have to take into consideration as he develops... how to best accommodate his ambidexterity, and whether it is in his best interest, as has been "traditionally practiced" throughout time, to "beat it out of him," and make him a right-hander... no, seriously, we're just concerned about how best to take advantage of his hemispheric confusion...