Connected Paediatrics Weekly: Lefty loosie, righty tighty!

Hi Reader

Dad Joke: Why was the car always tired? It never took any brakes

Song of the Week: Rascal Flatts - Life is a Highway

If you were anywhere near the hills of Malaga this weekend you would have heard this phrase being shouted from our rental car as I attempted to navigate driving on the right side of the road. In fact, lefty loosie, righty tighty worked really well. Tight on the right corners and across traffic when turning left (don’t even get me started on traffic circles/roundabouts!)

But it was…neuroplasticity training.

It felt uncomfortable, exhilarating, interesting and stressful all at the same time. And, of course, when things went wrong, I would divert straight back to the old pattern that my brain knew so well…which would end up with hooters blasting and me apologizing as I corrected course. Constantly on high alert. You have to keep telling yourself what to do because that primitive part of your driving brain wants to kick in at the worst times...“lefty loosie, righty tighty…on and on and on.

There may have even been once where I got into the car and sat there, magically in the passenger seat, wondering what had happened to the steering rack. But as the weekend drew on my brain eased into the new pattern and it became my default. My brain had found a way.

What a crash course in what it’s like to be a child moving from supine to rolling, sitting to crawling and crawling to walking. It’s kind of the same but different rules apply. You can take some skills and transfer them but in new and interesting ways…and when things get hairy your brain defaults to what you know.

Driving on the other side of the road might be a bit dangerous if you’re not in the hills of Malaga …but what not try something like eating with your utensils flipped around, or brushing your teeth with the other hand…anything to get your brain off autopilot. It needs a bit of discomfort once in a while.

It will give you a new-found respect for what our little patients go through every day.

Chat soon

Mike

Last few days to get the early bird for Newcastle event!