@knotmyday, this is so me! My children learned early on that when I say “this” it’s left, and “that” is right. My daughter told me if I hold my hands out in front of me, the index finger and thumb on my left hand form the letter “L” for left.
I’m left-handed. I wonder if this difficulty is more prevalent among lefties?
I know someone who doesn’t know left from right. I don’t understand this at all since I have never had a problem with it. I wonder how when I say to her ‘look up’ she knows exactly where to look, yet I say ‘turn left’ and she has to take a couple of seconds to figure it out. I think that if you can associate ‘up’ with a direction, then it should be just as easy to associate ‘left’ or ‘right.’ Left hand (and other left things) would be in one direction, and ‘right’ things would be in the opposite direction, just like ‘up’ is. I just cannot understand it, because I have never had to deal with it.
I believe this is related to dyslexia, which comes in many different shapes. I forget my left and right all the time, or say turn left when I point right . . .it’s all a part of making life a little more interesting.
interesting, tessa!! i always momentarily forget! when i’m telling someone where to go in a car, i’ve reverted to just pointing, and saying “that way” because half the time i end up saying the wrong one under pressure.
and i’ve never been formally diagnosed with dyslexia, but i often write words with the letters in the wrong order, but then i realize it really quickly and correct myself.