My father who was born in 1920 was left handed and seems to have been allowed to be left handed, which may have been unusual for that era. I was told several years ago by his brother that he (my father) was beaten by his father and had a hard life as a child - wonder if they were trying to beat the left-handedness out of him? Sadly, people used to think that way, didn't they.

My older son, Stephen The Drummer, is a lefty who has been forced by circumstances to be a righty. When he was almost 7YO he fell out of a tree on a family picnic and broke his left arm - so learnt to write and do other things with his right hand, just at the stage in school where they were really getting into writing. Eighteen months later, would you believe it, he fell off playground equipment at school and broke his left arm again!

Now at the age of 38 he uses a knife and fork in opposite hands, writes with his right hand, throws a ball left-handed, wears a watch on his right wrist rather than the left, and is a very good kit drummer - both hands and feet going at once. A drummer playing a full kit needs to be ambidextrous, and he certainly seems to be.