Wed Jan 17 16:55:57 2024 UTC by CrazyPaya234

On an alt because my brother knows about my main, and I don’t want this attention to come towards my parents and make it to my grandparents [somehow]

I never had a relationship with my grandparents from either side of my family. On my father’s side, they died before I was born, and on my mother’s I barely ever saw them. And when I did, it seemed as though they had no intensions of speaking or interacting with me. I was at home for the longer weekend because my parents needed help cleaning out the attic, and in one of the old boxes there was a old picture of my grandmother and my mom when she was younger. The picture got me thinking about why my mother’s grandparents always had acted so strange around me, as if they were avoiding me entirely. I brought the subject up to my mother while we were cleaning up the attic, and she told me why. She told me that my grandparents had always been hyper-religious, specifically catholic. This came as no surprise as I had deduced such from various mannerisms they had shown in the little time I had meet them. She finally said that the reason my grandparents didn’t want to be around me was because I was left handed.

WHAT.

She explained further that the left-hand had been interpreted as the devil’s hand as a catholic superstition. Because of this, my grandparents had always been wary of me, which grew out to them avoiding having a relationship with me entirely. I’m at a loss for words as to how these insane traditions continue to be prevalent in religious circles, especially in older individuals. It saddens me that despite how Christians often claim to be a welcoming community to all people, that many exclusive and elitist traditions continue to be practiced. I hope as time goes on, we open our eyes to realize how absolutely batshit insane these traditions, and maybe religions as a whole, really are.

  • frustratedphagocytosis@kbin.social
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    9 months ago

    Grandfather was beaten when he tried to use his left hand in school (Catholic run), father was not beaten but also forced to use right hand in school. I was in kindergarten and the teacher pointed out that ‘we need to fix that’ referring to my left handed writing. My mother must have given her a stern warning because I never heard anything else about it.

    • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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      9 months ago

      The nuns “fixed” my dad and he has the worst handwriting of anyone I know. My mom went to public schools and writes excellently with her left hand.

      Both my brother and I are left handed. It boggles my mind when I see people trying to change children’s inborn traits.

      • rdyoung@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Nothing as drastic here, but, my father is left handed and he pushed me to use my right because of how much of the world is designed around right handers. He didn’t use physical force but definitely pushed hard for me to use my left. That could be the reason for my atrocious handwriting.

      • lars@lemmy.sdf.org
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        9 months ago

        My dad was born left-handed and I still love him.

        Your choices, your lifestyle, but why do you people always try to shove it down our throats. Who hurt you all??

      • lad@programming.dev
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        9 months ago

        Tbf, a friend of mine is left-handed and he has the worst of handwritings I know, or very close.

        That’s at least in part due to most of the writing implements that were available when he learned being designed for the right-handed

        • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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          9 months ago

          I write left handed and mine’s horrible too. My notebooks look like the scribblings of a toddler sometimes. On the other hand I don’t have to worry about anyone reading my personal writings. Sucked in school though when we were grading each others tests and the know it all girl mine always went to tried taking off for handwriting