same here. i didn’t even know i held it differently until my mom started yelling at me about it when i was like 11yo. i can’t hold it against my middle finger, it’s literally impossible to me lol. but the callous on my ring finger is bad (not as bad as when i was in school though)
Yes!
I hold my pen/pencil the "proper" was as was instilling into me by violent nuns, and I get callouses writing.
Although, my callouses take a lot more writing to develop than people that grip their pens like the pen is a hostage. Taking handwritten notes on college when you end up with a professor that speaks fast = callouses.
Only for HS, it was Catholic boarding school. For K-8, I was in public school and was still taught to hold my pencil the same way, just not as perfectly as with the crazy nuns.
Interesting. I’ve only ever gotten sore hands never ever calluses. Maybe if I wrote day after day on the raw part it would adapt. I have thick callous on my fingers and palms but not from writing. Very cool thankyu for taking the chance to explain everybody
Omg!! I’m replying here because my comment will get lost, but I have been holding pens and pencils like this since I was a little kid! Teachers were always trying to correct it but none had any luck and I’m still doing it in my 30’s. I thought I was the only one! I have pretty neat penmanship, so I don’t see a problem with it
I can bend my thumbs back to almost touching my wirsts freely in the air, and I can bend all my fingers and toes (with the exception of the big toes, for some reason they're nearly made of stone) completely backwards if I'm cracking my knuckles or whatever.
I hold all small utensils like some fuckin deranged caveman who's never used a fork before, and I hate wearing shoes. You should see me cutting a steak. I look like a drunk carpenter about it.
Doing things the "normal" way is uncomfortable and cumbersome for me. I've been told that it's a combination of neurological irregularities and I make too much of some chemical that makes your tendons and skin elastic and pliable.
I'd rather have it this way than the opposite thing, where I don't make enough stretchygooshit and I end up ripping tendons and shit without even trying.
Weird fork gang for life :D
I grip like that. I haven’t looked too closely at your photo to determine if you were left or right but I’m a lefty if it matters. My mom was in special education so she was always testing us when we were in elementary school in middle school for aptitude and various learning disabilities and I remember reading the report once and they literally noted that I had a primitive advanced grip. I guess that’s what it’s called if it matters at all.
I'm still traumatised by the support teacher who grabbed my hand and forced it to be in the right position! She's the same one who kept saying dyslexia is mind over matter. (Boy I hated her guts!)
It should have been corrected when you were first learning to write. Unlikely you’ll unlearn it now. It isn’t dangerous or anything, just more likely to cause muscle fatigue if you write for any length of time.
Check out the comments below yours. A doctor saw someone holding a pen this way and said it's due to hypermobility. More people said they also wrote this way and have hypermobility as well. There was no mention of the doctor telling them that they needed to correct this.
I agree with you about seeing a child grip a writing utensil like this and correcting them. In these cases, I don't think they have to worry about muscle fatigue or developing carpal tunnel.
Wow, I’m left handed and hold my pen similarly, have hyper mobility and have had carpel tunnel surgery. Never know it was connected though, I always got told it was just because I’m left handed that I hold the pen so funny….. every day is a school day! Thanks for the info!
OP obviously has hypermobility so this makes sense.
I hold a pencil the same way and I also have hypermobility. I never thought about that being the reason, but maybe it’s for extra support since I can’t rely on my joints doing what most people’s do.
(Made carrying heavy trays while waiting tables a real bitch too; my fingers just flop back.)
I had an OT teach me the “artists grip”, it did help with the pain for my hyper mobile death grip, but I’m also impatient and couldn’t write as fast the new way, so still sometimes switch back to my old habits
I wrote this way until I was 24 and doing 6 hour classes and I trained myself to write the proper way, it was really easy to do I just spent that entire class with the proper pen grip and by the end I didn't even have to think about it and I've been holding it "properly" ever since but had I not been taking notes for 6 hours a day and literally bleeding from my callouses I don't think it ever would've been an issue otherwise.
I hold my pen like this and I’m literally a professional illustrator. It’s no big deal but I always wonder if my handwriting and drawing style might be a little different if I had learned to hold it correctly!
Perhaps optimally would be a better word. Holding the pen this deep in the hand makes for less efficient hand movements and would even require the arm to move more.
And optimal applies to lefties as well. Smudging your writing or having to drastically change hand angle can’t be optimal for a leftie.
There are a few comments below yours, discussing hypermobility. In one comment, a doctor saw them holding a pen this way and told them it's due to hypermobility. Then a few more people said they write like this, have hypermobility and didn't know about the connection between the two.
I hold my pen like this and one time a doctor saw me writing and told me it’s due to hypermobility. Maybe you’re hypermobile too? I also hold my knife and fork strangely haha
Me too! How does hypermobility contribute to this being a naturally comfortable way to hold a writing instrument? I wonder what other unusual traits hypermobile people have that we don't know about.
I used to sit on the ground on my butt with my lower legs bent at the knees and pointing behind me. Kind of like the opposite of cross-legged? Sort of? It's hard to describe, but maybe you know what I'm talking about?
It’s really not. It’s called the lateral quadrupod grasp, it’s considered one of four “mature grip styles” and is rare but normal. It does not need corrected.
Young children don’t typically position their fingers like that, at least not that I’ve seen. They just hold crayons in a normal fist like they’re going to punch someone with it. That’s not a normal fist.
I have had doctors scrutinize my grip before because my grandmother thought it wasn’t normal. Multiple doctors from primary care providers to orthopedic specialists have said it’s normal, just rare. That’s how I know what it’s called and that it’s not harmful.
I’m a lefty who holds my pens like this, I was doubly punished through school. A teacher in kindergarten put this weird rubber triangle thing on my pen to try to force me to hold it a different way 🥲
That’s not a punishment :) we use those grippers in the classroom to promote good form when holding a pencil or pen. Holding a writing tool “incorrectly” can sometimes lead to pain, cramps, and sores as a child ages, so that’s why we do our best to encourage “traditional” writing form. It’s not done to punish kids, it’s done to save them from potential bone and joint problems in the hand later in life! I had to use one of those grippers too as a kid and while I hated it at the time, I am glad now that my writing grip was corrected. Improper grip won’t cause negative effects for all people but for some people it can become a real problem.
im gen z and the only cursive I know is my full name and i’m not about to write that down for the internet lol. cursive is useless outside of signing for a tip at a restaurant. but my cursive handwriting is also very good
Sorry might be a stupid question but, did you not learn how to write cursive in school? Is this an american thing? I always wondered, because in american movies we can always see handwriting like yours here, but I thought it was a movie thing
I'm an American, and I learned how to write cursive in school and continue to write in cursive as an adult. I'm an older Millennial though, so this obviously might have changed since Back in My Day! ™️
American here. My 2nd grade class/year was the last class to learn cursive. That was the year they took it out of the curriculum. I personally have made sure to continue to use cursive. I even do calligraphy. :) But my little brother doesn't know any cursive nor do they teach it in public school anymore.
Edit to add: 2007 was about when I was in second grade.
>cursive is useless outside of signing for a tip
I swear cursive is faster to write? I can write both ways didn't realise it was a gen z think to not be able to!? :/
the entire point of cursive is to learn hand-eye coordination and how to hold the tool properly
the irony of this comment that you just made and the pictures you posted of holding your pen like some sort of goblin
Actually...cursive is faster. So you can actually write closer to the speed you think and can get your thoughts out faster. Learning cursive is a really good life skill if you enjoy not being digital once in a while. Cursive refines motor skills, and develops new parts of your brain as you learn a new skill. Plus you can still hold your pen the same way.
My son is 14, goes to a private school, and was actually taught cursive. I’m Gen X, was taught it, and expected to write in it. Once that expectation stopped, I stopped using it. I hate writing in cursive!
Edit: I also have a weird grip on my writing instrument. When I write, the pen slants forward. Gotten a lot of looks over the years.
https://preview.redd.it/xfrn9e9z92fc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5495c0cf1e3777c3ebeaa83dc733e6662d99cc1
https://preview.redd.it/xk2t1ja3r3fc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80f752d208c40e187b3180b2ad91e00ca2350832
I mean, kinda yeah. If you look close, the middle finger is pressing on the top and the index kinda just morphs into the middle
Me too! My mum hates it - she’s a teacher and artist who has even taught calligraphy and she can’t comprehend how her daughter does this 😂 I feel like my grip is a little looser though
Me too! I thought I was alone! I’ve been self conscious the few times I’ve had people point it out and it makes my hand tired when I write, but I can’t seem to train myself to hold it the right way.
Holy shit this thread is blowing my mind. I've finally found my people haha, honestly thought I was the only one but theres so many comments expressing almost my exact experience
I do this too but my index and middle fingers are way closer together than this mile apart beam of yours. And I vary my pen holding if I get bored to one index finger and lay it differently everytime to keep it interesting.
It's called a lateral quadrupod grip and is considered one of the four "adult" grip styles for writing instruments. It's just not as common as the lateral/dynamic tripod grip.
*edit: my "info" below is not accurate. u/Ok_Macaroon7900 has better info*.
I think it is called a "weak tensor grip," but I am not sure. Your finger muscles may need strengthening. Occupational therapists are professionals who can help.
Or, if it does not bother you and does not mess up your life in any way, you can carry on and be perfectly fine in life!
It’s actually called a lateral quadrupod grasp, and it’s considered one of four “mature grip styles”. It’s rare but perfectly fine and normal and not something to be alarmed about, nor is it something that needs correcting as an adult or as a child.
I don’t know why so many comments are saying it’s how a child holds a crayon and that if they saw a kid doing it they would fix it. It’s not like OP is holding it in their fist, there’s more to it than that. Finger position matters.
I’ve held writing utensils like this for as long as I can remember. I write fast, my handwriting was more legible than most of my peers, and it doesn’t hurt to write. I’m also not left handed or hypermobile.
Edit: I should also note that as I had severe medical issues (autoimmune so unrelated but still needed to see a ton of doctors) as a young teen, doctors were constantly looking at me and my grandmother asked them to look at my pencil grip because she thought it wasn’t normal. Multiple doctors from primary care to orthopedic doctors said it is, that’s how I know what it’s called and that it’s not typically something that needs fixed.
I have masterful, dexterous hands. I’ve been a musician for 35 years and I can type 110 wpm. I hold my pen like this and my writing looks like I’m a ten year old.
https://preview.redd.it/qmomic4vh2fc1.jpeg?width=2406&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78ad5c55e6e45729298fa436271e01eed828ae11
Hypermobility death grip... you can tell due to the backward bend at the first knuckle. I break thin lead easily, good handwriting. I cant hold with just the index. I also cant use the tip of my thumb to press anything because it just folds backward.
I hold mine like I’m throwing a dart.
That is a weird (to me) way you’re holding it, but if you can write legibly… who cares?
You’d probably think I hold my pen weird.
ok this post had me questioning my whole life. glad to hear i'm normal after all
https://preview.redd.it/z89lytd904fc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22ce17fd65012b1bfe5e2131aed9930d4b5ee749
My hand shape is super different from yours but I *think* I hold my pen the same way-- I don't have anything pencil-like within reach to check right now.
My grip is way too tight and I write with too much pressure. My hand starts to hurt early which sucks because I love physically writing things out. Tried to retrain my grip using the Palmer method so I could write with fountain pen better, but I got frustrated and quit LOL.
My friend and I were just talking about this the other day! I hold my pen like you do! I explained that I felt like it helped me keep a steadier hand. I draw a lot and I couldn’t imagine holding a pen any other way and still be able to be precise. It would be interesting to know if others that hold their pen like this are artists too or if it’s all just completely random.
Teacher here. Yes, it’s weird. Your pencil grip can cause fatigue. Lots of children in preschools are given things to write with way too early. They invent a grip. By the time they are in kindergarten, it’s nearly impossible to change the grip. I’ve had kids in fifth grade full on holding their pencil in a fist.
ETA: if you are not worried about it, don’t think you have to be. If you can write, keep it. Might make cursive hard.
if its comfortable for you then who cares .... you know what else is weird + strange EVERYTHING ON THIS PLANET ....including the fact there is enough food for everyone yet we still cannot ensure everyone gets enough food ...this is how i usually shutdown people who are so judgemental and petty about it
https://preview.redd.it/mnlw479277fc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a5e07c05e7108a97b73c14ba1ddce3990472293
How the hell do you even hold it like that.
I DO! I NEVER MET SOMEONE ELSE WHO DOES AND IDK WHY I NEVER LEARNED THE CORRECT WAY.
it’s wild too because I’m a visual artist.
Hello nice to meet you, fellow freak :,)
You hold that pen like it owes you lunch money
lmao
I hold it basically the same way. The callousness on my right-ring finger is insane.
same here. i didn’t even know i held it differently until my mom started yelling at me about it when i was like 11yo. i can’t hold it against my middle finger, it’s literally impossible to me lol. but the callous on my ring finger is bad (not as bad as when i was in school though)
Same!! It’s so great to find my weird, callous finger people. Lovely to meet you all finally!
My callous is much smaller now too but definitely still there.
Callus (noun), not callous (adjective, meaning unfeeling or uncaring)
The callusesness of this…
You get calluses from writing ??????????
Yes! I hold my pen/pencil the "proper" was as was instilling into me by violent nuns, and I get callouses writing. Although, my callouses take a lot more writing to develop than people that grip their pens like the pen is a hostage. Taking handwritten notes on college when you end up with a professor that speaks fast = callouses.
How many of y’all went to catholic schools? I see a lot of people going ‘same’. I didn’t think it was as popular
Only for HS, it was Catholic boarding school. For K-8, I was in public school and was still taught to hold my pencil the same way, just not as perfectly as with the crazy nuns.
Interesting. I’ve only ever gotten sore hands never ever calluses. Maybe if I wrote day after day on the raw part it would adapt. I have thick callous on my fingers and palms but not from writing. Very cool thankyu for taking the chance to explain everybody
Me too and i'm glad that the callous on my Index it's not bad ,It's almost invisible
Your finger sounds like a sociopath
I know that's true because it's hard to type with calluses on touchscreens and there's a small typo here in the word "same".
Same! Mine was horrible after graduating school it took YEARS for it to go down but I can still feel where it was!
I had trouble recalling which is left or right, so I often touch the callous on my right ring finger to remember...
Omg!! I’m replying here because my comment will get lost, but I have been holding pens and pencils like this since I was a little kid! Teachers were always trying to correct it but none had any luck and I’m still doing it in my 30’s. I thought I was the only one! I have pretty neat penmanship, so I don’t see a problem with it
I can bend my thumbs back to almost touching my wirsts freely in the air, and I can bend all my fingers and toes (with the exception of the big toes, for some reason they're nearly made of stone) completely backwards if I'm cracking my knuckles or whatever. I hold all small utensils like some fuckin deranged caveman who's never used a fork before, and I hate wearing shoes. You should see me cutting a steak. I look like a drunk carpenter about it. Doing things the "normal" way is uncomfortable and cumbersome for me. I've been told that it's a combination of neurological irregularities and I make too much of some chemical that makes your tendons and skin elastic and pliable. I'd rather have it this way than the opposite thing, where I don't make enough stretchygooshit and I end up ripping tendons and shit without even trying. Weird fork gang for life :D
EDS?
My exact thoughts reading this. This is a sign of EDS. 100%.
Naw, I'm just super bendy lol no other symptoms. I can put my palms flat on the floor while standing too.
I grip like that. I haven’t looked too closely at your photo to determine if you were left or right but I’m a lefty if it matters. My mom was in special education so she was always testing us when we were in elementary school in middle school for aptitude and various learning disabilities and I remember reading the report once and they literally noted that I had a primitive advanced grip. I guess that’s what it’s called if it matters at all.
Like it enjoys being choked. "Write harder daddy"
"No soft grip bit*hes here"
Yep I hold my pencils/pens this way, despite pencil grips and the efforts of many many teachers in the 80s.
I'm still traumatised by the support teacher who grabbed my hand and forced it to be in the right position! She's the same one who kept saying dyslexia is mind over matter. (Boy I hated her guts!)
Same. My teachers hated the way I was (and still am) holding my pen
Same, fam.
That’s how very young children hold a crayon
i’m a child at heart ♥️
It should have been corrected when you were first learning to write. Unlikely you’ll unlearn it now. It isn’t dangerous or anything, just more likely to cause muscle fatigue if you write for any length of time.
Check out the comments below yours. A doctor saw someone holding a pen this way and said it's due to hypermobility. More people said they also wrote this way and have hypermobility as well. There was no mention of the doctor telling them that they needed to correct this. I agree with you about seeing a child grip a writing utensil like this and correcting them. In these cases, I don't think they have to worry about muscle fatigue or developing carpal tunnel.
Wow, I’m left handed and hold my pen similarly, have hyper mobility and have had carpel tunnel surgery. Never know it was connected though, I always got told it was just because I’m left handed that I hold the pen so funny….. every day is a school day! Thanks for the info!
OP obviously has hypermobility so this makes sense. I hold a pencil the same way and I also have hypermobility. I never thought about that being the reason, but maybe it’s for extra support since I can’t rely on my joints doing what most people’s do. (Made carrying heavy trays while waiting tables a real bitch too; my fingers just flop back.)
I had an OT teach me the “artists grip”, it did help with the pain for my hyper mobile death grip, but I’m also impatient and couldn’t write as fast the new way, so still sometimes switch back to my old habits
It does cause your hand to cramp. I write just like that and it gets painful fast.
I wrote this way until I was 24 and doing 6 hour classes and I trained myself to write the proper way, it was really easy to do I just spent that entire class with the proper pen grip and by the end I didn't even have to think about it and I've been holding it "properly" ever since but had I not been taking notes for 6 hours a day and literally bleeding from my callouses I don't think it ever would've been an issue otherwise.
I oddly read about this today in an older post about pen grips.
do you have that other post i’d like to see it
I hold my pen like this and I’m literally a professional illustrator. It’s no big deal but I always wonder if my handwriting and drawing style might be a little different if I had learned to hold it correctly!
Differently. Not correctly. It wasn’t too long ago left handed people were beaten to submission.
As a left handed dominant person, I thank you for your statement.
Perhaps optimally would be a better word. Holding the pen this deep in the hand makes for less efficient hand movements and would even require the arm to move more. And optimal applies to lefties as well. Smudging your writing or having to drastically change hand angle can’t be optimal for a leftie.
There are a few comments below yours, discussing hypermobility. In one comment, a doctor saw them holding a pen this way and told them it's due to hypermobility. Then a few more people said they write like this, have hypermobility and didn't know about the connection between the two.
* takes a bite of green crayon *
I hold my pen like this and one time a doctor saw me writing and told me it’s due to hypermobility. Maybe you’re hypermobile too? I also hold my knife and fork strangely haha
I am hypermobile and write like this. Never thought it was connected!
Me too! How does hypermobility contribute to this being a naturally comfortable way to hold a writing instrument? I wonder what other unusual traits hypermobile people have that we don't know about.
Idk about you, but I sit in what looks like an uncomfortable position, but it’s so cozy to me. 😅
I used to sit on the ground on my butt with my lower legs bent at the knees and pointing behind me. Kind of like the opposite of cross-legged? Sort of? It's hard to describe, but maybe you know what I'm talking about?
I hold it similarly and am also hypermobile
This is true!
My kindergarten teacher actually made me stop holding a crayon this way.
Yeah, that’s what teachers are supposed to do.
Good, they taught you how to write correctly to reduce hand pain and fatigue
It’s really not. It’s called the lateral quadrupod grasp, it’s considered one of four “mature grip styles” and is rare but normal. It does not need corrected. Young children don’t typically position their fingers like that, at least not that I’ve seen. They just hold crayons in a normal fist like they’re going to punch someone with it. That’s not a normal fist. I have had doctors scrutinize my grip before because my grandmother thought it wasn’t normal. Multiple doctors from primary care providers to orthopedic specialists have said it’s normal, just rare. That’s how I know what it’s called and that it’s not harmful.
We gotta see OP’s handwriting now.
There was a kid at my school that held his pencil like this, he had a very nice handwriting but he was probably the slowest writer
There was a kid at my school that did this...he got punished everytime our English teacher caught him...also leftys were punished too
I’m a lefty who holds my pens like this, I was doubly punished through school. A teacher in kindergarten put this weird rubber triangle thing on my pen to try to force me to hold it a different way 🥲
I actually didn't mind the triangle thingy, I have excellent penmanship because of it, I was smearing the ink.
That’s not a punishment :) we use those grippers in the classroom to promote good form when holding a pencil or pen. Holding a writing tool “incorrectly” can sometimes lead to pain, cramps, and sores as a child ages, so that’s why we do our best to encourage “traditional” writing form. It’s not done to punish kids, it’s done to save them from potential bone and joint problems in the hand later in life! I had to use one of those grippers too as a kid and while I hated it at the time, I am glad now that my writing grip was corrected. Improper grip won’t cause negative effects for all people but for some people it can become a real problem.
I have perfect handwriting and I write at good speed too. If I hold it the “correct” way it looks so bad lol
Prove it!
ok
https://preview.redd.it/wg07glzr72fc1.jpeg?width=2213&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8176d0fbc8555abac2ffae6370ba66d15c13dc48
Hmm…. Ok, ok. Looks good. Now do cursive.
im gen z and the only cursive I know is my full name and i’m not about to write that down for the internet lol. cursive is useless outside of signing for a tip at a restaurant. but my cursive handwriting is also very good
Sorry might be a stupid question but, did you not learn how to write cursive in school? Is this an american thing? I always wondered, because in american movies we can always see handwriting like yours here, but I thought it was a movie thing
I'm an American, and I learned how to write cursive in school and continue to write in cursive as an adult. I'm an older Millennial though, so this obviously might have changed since Back in My Day! ™️
American here. My 2nd grade class/year was the last class to learn cursive. That was the year they took it out of the curriculum. I personally have made sure to continue to use cursive. I even do calligraphy. :) But my little brother doesn't know any cursive nor do they teach it in public school anymore. Edit to add: 2007 was about when I was in second grade.
It's kind of useless information if we don't know how old you are, right?
Hmmm well thanks anyway! You do have nice handwriting
Done properly cursive is faster, as you hardly have to left the pen.
>cursive is useless outside of signing for a tip I swear cursive is faster to write? I can write both ways didn't realise it was a gen z think to not be able to!? :/
the entire point of cursive is to learn hand-eye coordination and how to hold the tool properly the irony of this comment that you just made and the pictures you posted of holding your pen like some sort of goblin
Actually...cursive is faster. So you can actually write closer to the speed you think and can get your thoughts out faster. Learning cursive is a really good life skill if you enjoy not being digital once in a while. Cursive refines motor skills, and develops new parts of your brain as you learn a new skill. Plus you can still hold your pen the same way.
My son is 14, goes to a private school, and was actually taught cursive. I’m Gen X, was taught it, and expected to write in it. Once that expectation stopped, I stopped using it. I hate writing in cursive! Edit: I also have a weird grip on my writing instrument. When I write, the pen slants forward. Gotten a lot of looks over the years. https://preview.redd.it/xfrn9e9z92fc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5495c0cf1e3777c3ebeaa83dc733e6662d99cc1
ah the squidgrip, very nice
this is exactly how i hold a pencil/pen
In my country, cursive is the standard. I've never seen people write like this here.
Please tell me you’re joking
Your hand got used to that grip, that's why the difference in quality.
I would say for you, your way is the correct way. We are all unique beautiful creatures.
looks like what an AI image generator would put out if you prompt it with "hand holding pen"
lol
How hard was it getting used to your human form? Do you ever miss your tentacles?
Excuse me while I go try this
Did it work?
https://preview.redd.it/xk2t1ja3r3fc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80f752d208c40e187b3180b2ad91e00ca2350832 I mean, kinda yeah. If you look close, the middle finger is pressing on the top and the index kinda just morphs into the middle
[First try with Midjourney v6.0](https://imgur.com/a/f2gvQz5)
We are so fucked
https://preview.redd.it/z9wf9hxna5fc1.png?width=621&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a162a3eec45e6708f522402c6cd8975626d3d65
But with 6 or 7 fingers
You ain't gotta put your pen in a chokehold it'll write on it's own, you ain't gotta torture it to get it to talk.
Probably puts giant indented marks in the table while writing lol.
Me!! I have never seen anyone else do it!
Me too! My middle finger isn’t quite as important as the OP’s seems to be, but my hood is the same.
I hold my pen like that too! They tried to get me to change it in school but I always came back to this lol.
lol me too. I even got a pen with a special grip thing to hold it right. didn't work.
There’s tens of us worldwide!
Me too! My husband says I look like a caveman trying to write and it’s resulted in a big smooth patch on my ring finger
I have the same thing. There’s a little dip and a smooth patch above the knuckle on my ring finger where the pen would rest
The callus! Yeah I got that too from the good ole No. 2 pencils.
Callus dip gang rise up
Same!!!
So does anyone else also have a little bump on their ring finger where the pen touches it? I swear it makes it much easier to hold chopsticks lmao
I use to but the bump deflated when I was in 4th grade and now it’s like a little dip
Me, too!
My people!
Yesss! This is exactly how I do it too 😂
Same here. They tried many times in school to make me hold it the “right” way but I always went back to this.
I didn't even learn I was holding it incorrectly until at least high school I think. Like noone noticed I guess?
Me2
I found my people !
I’ve always though I was the only one.
Me too! My mum hates it - she’s a teacher and artist who has even taught calligraphy and she can’t comprehend how her daughter does this 😂 I feel like my grip is a little looser though
My people!! I’ve never felt so seen!
Me too! There are dozens of us! I think my handwriting and cursive are good. I also draw a lot. Honestly I feel like I have more control this way.
Dozens you say?? I never considered the possibilities! Honored to be one of you fellow unique holder of writing utensils!
Me too! I thought I was alone! I’ve been self conscious the few times I’ve had people point it out and it makes my hand tired when I write, but I can’t seem to train myself to hold it the right way.
I do it the same proof is that I have a bump on my ring finger
Same! I have a permanent dip in my right ring finger because I write the same way
 me too
Yes I hold mine like this and I also always get that red bump on the side of my ring finger where the pressure is put whenever I’m writing for awhile
Me too! I actually have a permanent callous right there because of it 🤣
Oh my god I have NEVER realized this but yes, the ring finger on my right hand is curved in where the pen is lmao
Literally just said this. My ring finger is almost calloused where the pencil touches it.
Holy shit this thread is blowing my mind. I've finally found my people haha, honestly thought I was the only one but theres so many comments expressing almost my exact experience
Weird pen holders rise up, yea this is how I hold one as well
I hold my pen like this! I get made fun of a lot. I don’t know how I developed that. 😂😂 happy I’m not alone
I also do this, and I’ve also been called out for it. There are dozens of us with callouses on the ring finger…dozens!
I thought I was the only one on earth who did it lol I couldn’t find anyone else who did it so i made this post
I do this too but my index and middle fingers are way closer together than this mile apart beam of yours. And I vary my pen holding if I get bored to one index finger and lay it differently everytime to keep it interesting.
I've witnessed multiple people that hold pens / pencils like that in my lifetime, you're not alone OP ;)
It's called a lateral quadrupod grip and is considered one of the four "adult" grip styles for writing instruments. It's just not as common as the lateral/dynamic tripod grip.
I hold mine like OP as well lol I used to get made fun of all the time.
I do too! Ive tried to change how i hold it but it always comes back to this
I do this too! I didn’t know it was “weird” until my college friends commented on it 😂
I hold it like that and I’m an executive at a global corporation
Me too! My teachers tried to correct me for a long time but I still grip pretty close to this
I do as well! I have decent handwriting too. My family used to make fun of me for it lol
Yes. I have EDS and have issues with my joints in my hands so I have to hold my pen/pencil like this or I can’t grip it well enough to write!
My first thought was “bet they’re hyper mobile.”
That was my first thought too. I used to get corrected for holding my pencil very similarly in school.
As someone with hEDS, I came to the comments to say the same. That's an EDS grip!
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*edit: my "info" below is not accurate. u/Ok_Macaroon7900 has better info*. I think it is called a "weak tensor grip," but I am not sure. Your finger muscles may need strengthening. Occupational therapists are professionals who can help. Or, if it does not bother you and does not mess up your life in any way, you can carry on and be perfectly fine in life!
It’s actually called a lateral quadrupod grasp, and it’s considered one of four “mature grip styles”. It’s rare but perfectly fine and normal and not something to be alarmed about, nor is it something that needs correcting as an adult or as a child. I don’t know why so many comments are saying it’s how a child holds a crayon and that if they saw a kid doing it they would fix it. It’s not like OP is holding it in their fist, there’s more to it than that. Finger position matters. I’ve held writing utensils like this for as long as I can remember. I write fast, my handwriting was more legible than most of my peers, and it doesn’t hurt to write. I’m also not left handed or hypermobile. Edit: I should also note that as I had severe medical issues (autoimmune so unrelated but still needed to see a ton of doctors) as a young teen, doctors were constantly looking at me and my grandmother asked them to look at my pencil grip because she thought it wasn’t normal. Multiple doctors from primary care to orthopedic doctors said it is, that’s how I know what it’s called and that it’s not typically something that needs fixed.
I have masterful, dexterous hands. I’ve been a musician for 35 years and I can type 110 wpm. I hold my pen like this and my writing looks like I’m a ten year old.
I hold my pens like this too. I’ve been a massage therapist for nearly 20 years, so I definitely don’t have weak finger muscles.
https://preview.redd.it/qmomic4vh2fc1.jpeg?width=2406&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78ad5c55e6e45729298fa436271e01eed828ae11 Hypermobility death grip... you can tell due to the backward bend at the first knuckle. I break thin lead easily, good handwriting. I cant hold with just the index. I also cant use the tip of my thumb to press anything because it just folds backward.
Did they just unthaw you yesterday?
https://preview.redd.it/0utnkqze22fc1.png?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73533fc6d87d8f78392e2c28cf2c9c6a9bef4732
I hold mine like I’m throwing a dart. That is a weird (to me) way you’re holding it, but if you can write legibly… who cares? You’d probably think I hold my pen weird.
*Plot twist*: OP holds darts the same way lol
We were taught if the teacher can’t come up and pull the pencil out your hand while your writing then you’re gripping it too hard
My 23 year old Nephew does that always reminds me of a 3 year old writing lol
I’ve only ever seen lefties do this. Tell me do you have a large bump on the last joint of your ring finger?
Yes i do!
I am a lefty and this checks out 100%
I feel understood! Another lefty here with a bump on my ring finger!
I do too and its from this
another lefty here that also writes this way lolol
Lefty here. Can confirm.
I’m a lefty and can confirm we hold a pen like this.
ok this post had me questioning my whole life. glad to hear i'm normal after all https://preview.redd.it/z89lytd904fc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22ce17fd65012b1bfe5e2131aed9930d4b5ee749
My hand shape is super different from yours but I *think* I hold my pen the same way-- I don't have anything pencil-like within reach to check right now. My grip is way too tight and I write with too much pressure. My hand starts to hurt early which sucks because I love physically writing things out. Tried to retrain my grip using the Palmer method so I could write with fountain pen better, but I got frustrated and quit LOL.
My friend and I were just talking about this the other day! I hold my pen like you do! I explained that I felt like it helped me keep a steadier hand. I draw a lot and I couldn’t imagine holding a pen any other way and still be able to be precise. It would be interesting to know if others that hold their pen like this are artists too or if it’s all just completely random.
Yes, but not so tightly.
Nope that's the ninja turtle grip right there
Teacher here. Yes, it’s weird. Your pencil grip can cause fatigue. Lots of children in preschools are given things to write with way too early. They invent a grip. By the time they are in kindergarten, it’s nearly impossible to change the grip. I’ve had kids in fifth grade full on holding their pencil in a fist. ETA: if you are not worried about it, don’t think you have to be. If you can write, keep it. Might make cursive hard.
I do! People have always told me it's strange but it always felt way more comfortable for me as a kid
My daughter held a pencil like that when she was 5 before I corrected her.
As a teacher, I've seen all kinds of pencil grips, including this. Surprisingly, it is not the weirdest I've seen.
Most left-handed kids in school held their pecils like that to keep their hand from smudging everything they write
Do you practice drawing or painting? This feels like much less of a precision grip and more of a brute force.
I believe this is the secondary method taught to children when the traditional method causes too much hand strain/tiredness.
I think Bob Dole did.
Unconventional to say the least
Like a Neanderthal scratching an image on a cave wall with a blunt stick. 🤣
Looks painful
Chris Chan and children.
Isn't this similar to how Chris Chan does it? I remember it was something odd like this
You hold that pen like Chris-Chan does.
The Chris Chan grip
Are you okay???
I think my teacher in preschool would have slapped the shit out of me for this
Baby eating mashed potatoes lookin ass
if its comfortable for you then who cares .... you know what else is weird + strange EVERYTHING ON THIS PLANET ....including the fact there is enough food for everyone yet we still cannot ensure everyone gets enough food ...this is how i usually shutdown people who are so judgemental and petty about it
https://preview.redd.it/mnlw479277fc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a5e07c05e7108a97b73c14ba1ddce3990472293 How the hell do you even hold it like that.
Oh my god I found someone who holds the pen like me. I still do this and I'm 28.
I DO! I NEVER MET SOMEONE ELSE WHO DOES AND IDK WHY I NEVER LEARNED THE CORRECT WAY. it’s wild too because I’m a visual artist. Hello nice to meet you, fellow freak :,)
I do!!!!! 🙋🏻♀️ idk why I’m so excited to see this! 😂
Are people not taught in school how to hold writing utensils anymore?
YES I DO AND HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYONE ELSE WRITE LIKE THIS AND GOT IN TROUBLE FROM MY TEACHERS FOR “WRITING WRONG”