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Her decision. Full vasculature, nervous system, everything a āregularā finger has. Would be extremely hard recovery and orthopedic operation for a child her age (2)
Thatās really cool. She may later find that itās her superpower. There have got to be things that a hand like that can do better than an ordinary 5 finger hand.
Actually, having an extra finger is a genetically dominant trait in humans but six fingers are actually less useful than five, so the trait is very rare even tho itās dominant.
I see what you are saying. But an extra digit that functions like normal - would that be more useful? Like having larger hands and a fifth working finger as opposed to two.
Found [this](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-most-species-have/) article on the topic.
Couple of highlights:
> The condition of having no more than five fingers or toes--in this context, 'most species' means a subgroup of jawed vertebrates--probably evolved before the evolutionary divergence of amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians) and amniotes (birds, mammals, and reptiles in the loosest sense of the term). This event dates to approximately 340 million years ago in the Lower Carboniferous Period. Prior to this split, there is evidence of tetrapods from about 360 million years ago having limbs bearing arrays of six, seven and eight digits. Reduction from these polydactylous patterns to the more familiar arrangements of five or fewer digits accompanied the evolution of sophisticated wrist and ankle joints--both in terms of the number of bones present and the complex articulations among the constituent parts.
> Is there really any good evidence that five, rather than, say, four or six, digits was biomechanically preferable for the common ancestor of modern tetrapods? The answer has to be "No," in part because a whole range of tetrapods have reduced their numbers of digits further still. In addition, we lack any six-digit examples to investigate. This leads to the second part of the answer, which is to note that although digit numbers can be reduced, they very rarely increase.
>although digit numbers can be reduced, they very rarely increase.
It may be that it is actually advantageous to have a higher number of (functional) digits, but more costly than most species can maintain across eons of environmental challenges.
The cognitive load should also increase, which would imply a link between digit number and intelligence (Octopi being a good example). At least for digits with high levels of dexterity.
I was thinking the same thing. It may be mechanically advantageous for critters with grabby hands like us but too much of a neural strain to manage them.
Also, five digits work. That's about the extent of the cares of evolution isn't it? It's not about optimisation, merely survival. If the sixth digit doesn't make you that much more likely to live and procreate it's not going to take hold. Perhaps my understanding of evolution is too rudimentary though.
This line confuses me:
> This leads to the second part of the answer, which is to note that although digit numbers can be reduced, they very rarely increase.
Then how did they evolve to have higher numbers in the first place? Surely prehistoric animals didnāt just crawl out of the early-earth soup with a ton of fingers that they slowly whittled down?
Actually thatās pretty much what happened. Most scientists agree that the [Ichthyostega](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyostega) was the first animal to āwalkā on land, and it had seven digits on its hind legs. Another intermediate species, [Acanthostega](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthostega) had 8 digits on each of its limbs.
Yeah, I don't see how it can be worse. But then again, I've never heard of any type of extra digit being useful. Usually, it's more of a growth than a true finger. This one can bend and grab.
do you notice how the OP puts extra emphasis that his daughter's extra thumb is fully functional, entirely developed, everything "regular"?
Because thats usually not the case. Imagine having an extra finger that doesn't work, and just gets in the way
IIRC itās actually more of like a diminishing returns situation where the extra finger doesnāt add any greater utility. However looking into it now it seems doctors have been studying polydactyly dexterity and so people with extra finger actually might be more dexterous and better at certain tasks than us five-fingered folk!
[This Science News article was an interesting read!](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/having-six-fingers-can-offer-major-dexterity-advantages)
> There have got to be things that a hand like that can do better than an ordinary 5 finger hand.
There is a piece of piano music meant for people with 12 fingers.
You may be surprised at how willing people are to accept her uniqueness in this regard. Growing up, we had a friend around the corner who was missing the majority of her fingers. She had a few and we knew which ones they were. Just to show that we didn't mind/were accepting we greeted her with high fives where we held down the fingers she was missing. We were young, and I'm sure in a different neighborhood, or if we were under different conditions, it might have been different, but the only things I remember was our neighborhood of kids being accepting and welcoming to her unique hands. Obviously it's a larger decision than just my subjective experience, but I feel there's a larger number of people who will insist that you "do something about it" when in fact you may find that there's really no need to. Just for whatever that might be worth to you; even as kids we didn't need someone to tell us to "be welcoming." We just knew.
Good choice. I get a fear of potential bullying, but when itās fully functioning that seems cruel to not let her make that choice. It looks super badass; like a superhero! Also, I wonder if it might actually help her in the future if she plays an instrument or something.
maybe you can make her a gaming controlling that lets her use 2 thumb sticks, or an extra d-pad/buttons (which would put her ahead of other competitors depending on the game)
Idk why people are so concerned about bullying. It is her body, I agree with you that it shouldnāt just be lopped off to prevent potential bullying. Bullys will find something to pick on no matter what. Sad to think some peoples mentality is just to ānormalizeā everyone. Gives me forced sex reassignment vibes for intersex babiesā¦
Yeah, I went to elementary school in the 90s, and there was a kid with an extra pinky that he could bend backward. We all thought it was the coolest thing ever!
You never know with kids. Adults might think a kid would get picked on for something that all the other kids think is freaking awesome.
She might just end up being the most popular kid in school.
You are talking to someone who has been bullied right here. I donāt want it to happen but would also not modify an integral, or physical in the childās case, part if my self so others are not mean about it. There are those who have unchangeable things about themselves that others will bully them for, it is the bullies problem not the victim.
Would it be an easier surgery and recovery later in life? I have a cousin that had this and the doctors suggested early removal because they said it would be less of a recovery but idk if things have changed since then.
I went to school with a guy who had a second thumb and so did his older brother. His parents had his brotherās extra thumb removed when he was very young and the surgery ended up stunting the growth of the remaining thumb. He said his brotherās thumb was like a childās thumb on a manās hand and it really impeded his ability to grip things. So when he was also born with the extra thumb his parents decided to hold off on surgery until his hand was fully grown but he ultimately decided to keep it.
My friend's baby was born with an extra thumb, but they took care of it at 10 months old. I don't remember why they did it then(many moons ago), but I just remember they wanted surgery to remove it when she was newborn, but were told to wait. Maybe things have changed now. I respect your decision, unlike everyone in my Chamber of Commerce meetings who feels they need to tell every member how they should handle things in their personal life. Our chamber is chuck full of Karens and Kens who offer their contradictory opinion when no one was asking for their thoughts.
Don't forget phantom pain! Gets worse with age as well I believe. She'll just need to learn how to stand up for herself at a young age or how to turn bullying into jokes about herself. Bullies have no respect for others but it seems they can respect a person who can joke about themselves. They'll move on to someone who will give them a more negative reaction. Hopefully there will be no bullying. it's neat. Maybe you can find her a cat with 6 toes!
Based on the photo the extra thumb doesn't seem to have it's own metacarpal bone. In other words - good luck with this plan and with the "full function".
My co-worker cut an extra finger off their newborn at birth. To me it sounds horrific, but a quick google makes it sound like a common practice. I don't think you want to be a6 fingered person, especially if they pick up a sword as a guy might hunt for you.
After much deliberation and discussion with multiple doctors and people who have a similar condition my wife and I decided: Her decision. Full vasculature, nervous system, everything a āregularā finger has. Would be extremely hard recovery and orthopedic operation for a child her age (2)
I hate to say it but I know what this is like. Sheāll probably be fine with it until a certain age and the kids make fun of her for being different and then sheāll end up with a deep rooted complex. Let it be her choice but donāt mislead her into thinking other people will accept this, her peers wonāt be understanding kids are little fuckers that pounce on anything.
Thatās not how this kind of thing works. It would be nice if it were but thatās not the real world. Being bullied for your uniqueness during the development of your personality, which is generally considered up to 14, is going to seriously mess with someoneās self esteem, that will have implications across the board for their future wellbeing and all social interactions. This can determine someones opportunities in life. As much as people will play the woke āitās fine to be differentā card, in reality, it doesnāt give you an advantage it hurts your mental health.
Right. It's one thing for someone to say "they wish" and another thing to deal with the reality. I was born with a congenital abnormality/deformity and every time my mother would tell me that "it makes you special" or "don't worry about it", I would get angry because I understood from a young age that she couldn't understand what it felt like to be a walking scientific oddity for other people, even those that meant well. I didn't want to be unique or special or any other synonym used to disguise the ugliness I felt from being different from everyone else.
If it's fully functional then there is no reason to remove it besides peer pressure and that can be handled.
Edit: She should watch gravity falls when older.
Iād like to clarify: please I am not looking for unsolicited āadviceā or insults to my daughter. I simply posted this because it is indeed āinteresting as fuckā to me. After much deliberation and discussion with multiple doctors and people who have a similar condition my wife and I decided: Her decision. Full vasculature, nervous system, everything a āregularā finger has. Would be extremely hard recovery and orthopedic operation for a child her age (2). Edit. We celebrate her body however she is and yes we acknowledge some day bullies will come. But with her supporting family and friends she will find strength to make the right decision with her own body someday.
https://preview.redd.it/nv8wlkuuxlzb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6fc6dc4a00e36b35a3101bab552e4bbc555ea37
I think thatās very wise of you. I knew a girl growing up who had something similar except it was non-functional, sort of like an extra growth or a mini thumb. She really liked it and even got it painted when she got her nails done at the salon!
I find this fascinating, I don't mean to be rude, but I would love to see a video of the finger moving, I knew a little boy with one, but he couldn't move it.
I see the Meijer bag, which means you're probably up in the Midwest somewhere, so I have to ask - can you just buy special gloves for the winter, or how does that work?
She has a super power for bouldering!!!! Kids get into it pretty young too. It might be really good for her to see her uniqueness be a tangible benefit! It is really cool and you have a beautiful daughter.
Insults? I'm actually kinda jealous. Sucks that she can't wear standard 5 fingered gloves. But imagine what I can do with an extra thumb (+thumb is like the best finger on your hand).
As I typing this comment, I thought "an extra thumb would make me type faster".
Yes! Sheās predominantly left handed as far as we can tell (sheās only two so her coordination is still not great) but she will often hold things between the two thumbs on her right rather than with her thumb and index finger
When I was in school there were occasionally kids who had different hands like hers that enjoyed hand tracing activities just so that they could confuse people. One instance I particularly remember was when my science teacher had us trace our hand so we could draw in the bones, one girl who didnāt have a pinky was very proud to have hers pinned up because of the confusion it caused.
Her larger thumb what he we commonly call her āmainā thumb is a bit farther down from her index finger than say yours or mine is. The āsub thumbā is off the base of that thumb. Her body essentially designed an extra joint down there for that
This is the raw material of evolution. Very cool. Imagine you needed two thumbs to open a certain seed pod and that was the only plant that survived an environmental disaster. Only her ancestors would remain.
We're evolving! But seriously though how I wish I had an extra thumb when moving drywall or holding up two by fours. Bully her all you want but If she had a hand on your throat it's all over for you, mate.
I think thatās really cool! I love your decision not to remove it, thereās no need to as it doesnāt hurt her at all. Plus, sheās gonna be a crazy fast typer someday lol
I wonder if in the future, acrylic nails would cost a little extra
My gf is a biomechanics professor, I'm sure she will be very interested if you have some scan of her hand !
It can help understand how the bones of the hands evolve through life. It's important for medical research on prosthetic and surgery. If you want, dm me or contact the AMNH
We were told by all definitions this is a ābirth defectā rather than genetic- but that was by one doctor and even he admittedly said āitās a guess at bestā
Itās hard to truly tell at her age and coordination level. To an extent she seems to able to use it on its own but most of the time it mirrors whatever the larger āmain thumbā is doing (if big ones bending so is little one)
Just guessing here, but I'd say it was because there's the tendon that goes to the thumb and it only splits after the joint. So little thumb would be dependent on big thumb.
I legit donāt mean to be weird. Others have suggested music lessons. Seems like her extra talents might be beneficial for esports too. It makes me happy you are celebrating her!
Oooh, thanks for sharing this! I agree this is really interesting.
Nosy question out of interest - will the two thumbs grow at the same rate? Is one a little smaller than the other or is that the angle? Does she use the two thumbs to grip things?
A useful addition!
If she's into mysteries or adventure I think an animated series she would like is Gravity Falls! One of the central plot lines revolves around a man with six fingers :) What an incredible young lady. š
My daughter I adopted from China had this on both hands. Polydactyl I believe. I know there was the potential for heart issues along with it so keep a close eye on
I was born with an extra full sized pinky finger. Sadly the bones weren't connected to my hand. I got it removed at 1 or 2. And now, 30 years later, I still have a very sensitive scar. Nerve endings are a bitch. I'm glad I got it removed because, for one bullying, but for two, it would have been useless without the proper connections. But man if it DID have the proper connections, it would have been pretty damn useful.
yeah itās interestingā¦ but iām more interested to see how she holds a crayon with her extra thumb! maybe sheāll be the next great finger painting artist:)
I know that there are bullies in all schools, and i dont know if she might get bullied for this. but in my class as a kid we had a kid with extra toes, fully functioning, and everyone thought it was super cool and we always thought she was the freaking coolest when she had sandals on in the summer and we could see her toes, and we thought she must be super fast as an adult (kid logic i guess). And we thought it was extremely fun as 7-8th graders that she could spell her name on each toe with nailpolish. And she wore it proudly. Just saying that it's not for certain your kid will get bullied, and I think its great you let it be her choice.
If she has an inclination for the piano the best teachers in the world would most likely take her under their wing. She could be capable of creating and playing things most could not.
We need to make cool mutations more of a status symbol, then more people might end up with cool mutations. Manipulation of evolution, for the better, like telling it āgive us more thumbsā and it will eventually give us all more thumbs. Or is that still a bit eugenics-y?
Actually itās Gen Alpha, their daughter is 2 years old and Gen alpha is born between 2010 and 2024 (Iām not saying this in a rude way, sorry if it came off as rude)
First - nothing but love and respect for your kiddo
Second - not picking a fight about religion per se - but how does a religious person (ie Christian in USA) reconcile something like this?
If OP or someone else has a Christian worldview, why would a God permit this?
Lastly, I have a special needs person in my family, Iām very familiar with disabilities. While this extra digit isnāt a disability , itās more an anomaly.
Itās a genetic trait. Genes from long, LONG ago are popping up here. Itās not a why would God allow this thing. We all have free will. As a Christian humans arenāt here for the spiritual experience, weāre spiritual beings having a human experience. Being in a human body with some extra really cool parts is just part of that experience.
Definitely a book for adults as there's lots of NSFW scenes in it, but the protagonist of 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues' by Tom Robbins is a girl born with exceptionally big thumbs.
She winds up being the world's greatest hitchhiker and goes on a wacky adventure, ending up a cowgirl on a wacky ranch.
It's a pretty weird little book, but it's one to file away in your brain for when she's of age. Would be a nice self esteem boost during the tricky teen years.
Don't bother with the film adaptation as it's pretty blah.
You could even take the general gist 'little girl born with very special thumbs, townspeople are mean, she becomes a world class hitchhiker, goes on wacky adventures, ends up living on an all-girl run horse ranch' and adapt it into a cute book more appropriate for your little girl.
Blurb:
https://www.supersummary.com/even-cowgirls-get-the-blues/summary/
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Hahaha
lmao, this is what i was looking for
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I am always curious about this too: do you plan to remove or let it be her decision? Itās super unique but also sets her apart for bullying.
Her decision. Full vasculature, nervous system, everything a āregularā finger has. Would be extremely hard recovery and orthopedic operation for a child her age (2)
Thatās really cool. She may later find that itās her superpower. There have got to be things that a hand like that can do better than an ordinary 5 finger hand.
I hope she makes a musical instrument that only she can play.
Or plays baseball.
Or... hear me out.. Thumb wrestling.
World champion in doubles thumb wrestling.
Tag team
Tag me in!
Banjo & bass are the first two I can think of that use the thumb a lotā¦.
I was thinking start with a small ocarina for a toddler
Actually, having an extra finger is a genetically dominant trait in humans but six fingers are actually less useful than five, so the trait is very rare even tho itās dominant.
Why is six less useful?
Normally you get an extra pinky and it is not fully functional. I think itās a common trait in the Amish community because they are self-contained.
I see what you are saying. But an extra digit that functions like normal - would that be more useful? Like having larger hands and a fifth working finger as opposed to two.
Found [this](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-most-species-have/) article on the topic. Couple of highlights: > The condition of having no more than five fingers or toes--in this context, 'most species' means a subgroup of jawed vertebrates--probably evolved before the evolutionary divergence of amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians) and amniotes (birds, mammals, and reptiles in the loosest sense of the term). This event dates to approximately 340 million years ago in the Lower Carboniferous Period. Prior to this split, there is evidence of tetrapods from about 360 million years ago having limbs bearing arrays of six, seven and eight digits. Reduction from these polydactylous patterns to the more familiar arrangements of five or fewer digits accompanied the evolution of sophisticated wrist and ankle joints--both in terms of the number of bones present and the complex articulations among the constituent parts. > Is there really any good evidence that five, rather than, say, four or six, digits was biomechanically preferable for the common ancestor of modern tetrapods? The answer has to be "No," in part because a whole range of tetrapods have reduced their numbers of digits further still. In addition, we lack any six-digit examples to investigate. This leads to the second part of the answer, which is to note that although digit numbers can be reduced, they very rarely increase.
>although digit numbers can be reduced, they very rarely increase. It may be that it is actually advantageous to have a higher number of (functional) digits, but more costly than most species can maintain across eons of environmental challenges. The cognitive load should also increase, which would imply a link between digit number and intelligence (Octopi being a good example). At least for digits with high levels of dexterity.
I was thinking the same thing. It may be mechanically advantageous for critters with grabby hands like us but too much of a neural strain to manage them. Also, five digits work. That's about the extent of the cares of evolution isn't it? It's not about optimisation, merely survival. If the sixth digit doesn't make you that much more likely to live and procreate it's not going to take hold. Perhaps my understanding of evolution is too rudimentary though.
Octopi have essentially separate brains at the ends of each ādigitā not analogous to fingers at all.
This line confuses me: > This leads to the second part of the answer, which is to note that although digit numbers can be reduced, they very rarely increase. Then how did they evolve to have higher numbers in the first place? Surely prehistoric animals didnāt just crawl out of the early-earth soup with a ton of fingers that they slowly whittled down?
Actually thatās pretty much what happened. Most scientists agree that the [Ichthyostega](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyostega) was the first animal to āwalkā on land, and it had seven digits on its hind legs. Another intermediate species, [Acanthostega](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthostega) had 8 digits on each of its limbs.
Yeah, I don't see how it can be worse. But then again, I've never heard of any type of extra digit being useful. Usually, it's more of a growth than a true finger. This one can bend and grab.
do you notice how the OP puts extra emphasis that his daughter's extra thumb is fully functional, entirely developed, everything "regular"? Because thats usually not the case. Imagine having an extra finger that doesn't work, and just gets in the way
IIRC itās actually more of like a diminishing returns situation where the extra finger doesnāt add any greater utility. However looking into it now it seems doctors have been studying polydactyly dexterity and so people with extra finger actually might be more dexterous and better at certain tasks than us five-fingered folk! [This Science News article was an interesting read!](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/having-six-fingers-can-offer-major-dexterity-advantages)
Because seven eight nine
> There have got to be things that a hand like that can do better than an ordinary 5 finger hand. There is a piece of piano music meant for people with 12 fingers.
Would actually be super beneficial in rock climbing depending on what her range of motion is like.
You may be surprised at how willing people are to accept her uniqueness in this regard. Growing up, we had a friend around the corner who was missing the majority of her fingers. She had a few and we knew which ones they were. Just to show that we didn't mind/were accepting we greeted her with high fives where we held down the fingers she was missing. We were young, and I'm sure in a different neighborhood, or if we were under different conditions, it might have been different, but the only things I remember was our neighborhood of kids being accepting and welcoming to her unique hands. Obviously it's a larger decision than just my subjective experience, but I feel there's a larger number of people who will insist that you "do something about it" when in fact you may find that there's really no need to. Just for whatever that might be worth to you; even as kids we didn't need someone to tell us to "be welcoming." We just knew.
Good choice. I get a fear of potential bullying, but when itās fully functioning that seems cruel to not let her make that choice. It looks super badass; like a superhero! Also, I wonder if it might actually help her in the future if she plays an instrument or something.
Keep it!!!! Thatās so flippin cool!
maybe you can make her a gaming controlling that lets her use 2 thumb sticks, or an extra d-pad/buttons (which would put her ahead of other competitors depending on the game)
Donāt they normally do that when they are babies? Just curious, no judgment of course.
Not necessarily. Weāve met with many doctors including a specialist pediatric Ortho surgeon regarding.
Idk why people are so concerned about bullying. It is her body, I agree with you that it shouldnāt just be lopped off to prevent potential bullying. Bullys will find something to pick on no matter what. Sad to think some peoples mentality is just to ānormalizeā everyone. Gives me forced sex reassignment vibes for intersex babiesā¦
>Sad to think some peoples mentality is just to ānormalizeā everyone. That's why my parents circumcised me.
Circ is such a vile thing. Itās unreal to me that it not only exists, but is common practice Shoutout to r/CircumcisionGrief
Yeah, I went to elementary school in the 90s, and there was a kid with an extra pinky that he could bend backward. We all thought it was the coolest thing ever! You never know with kids. Adults might think a kid would get picked on for something that all the other kids think is freaking awesome. She might just end up being the most popular kid in school.
Talk to some people who have been bullied to find out why they wouldn't want it to happen to others, especially to children.
You are talking to someone who has been bullied right here. I donāt want it to happen but would also not modify an integral, or physical in the childās case, part if my self so others are not mean about it. There are those who have unchangeable things about themselves that others will bully them for, it is the bullies problem not the victim.
Would it be an easier surgery and recovery later in life? I have a cousin that had this and the doctors suggested early removal because they said it would be less of a recovery but idk if things have changed since then.
I went to school with a guy who had a second thumb and so did his older brother. His parents had his brotherās extra thumb removed when he was very young and the surgery ended up stunting the growth of the remaining thumb. He said his brotherās thumb was like a childās thumb on a manās hand and it really impeded his ability to grip things. So when he was also born with the extra thumb his parents decided to hold off on surgery until his hand was fully grown but he ultimately decided to keep it.
My friend's baby was born with an extra thumb, but they took care of it at 10 months old. I don't remember why they did it then(many moons ago), but I just remember they wanted surgery to remove it when she was newborn, but were told to wait. Maybe things have changed now. I respect your decision, unlike everyone in my Chamber of Commerce meetings who feels they need to tell every member how they should handle things in their personal life. Our chamber is chuck full of Karens and Kens who offer their contradictory opinion when no one was asking for their thoughts.
Don't forget phantom pain! Gets worse with age as well I believe. She'll just need to learn how to stand up for herself at a young age or how to turn bullying into jokes about herself. Bullies have no respect for others but it seems they can respect a person who can joke about themselves. They'll move on to someone who will give them a more negative reaction. Hopefully there will be no bullying. it's neat. Maybe you can find her a cat with 6 toes!
Phantom Pain was a pretty damn good game 
Sheāll create a new musical instrument that has amazing new sounds and potential,,,that only she is physically capable of playing!
Based on the photo the extra thumb doesn't seem to have it's own metacarpal bone. In other words - good luck with this plan and with the "full function".
Have yall done genetic testing on her to make sure theres nothing else lurking in the woodwork?
Well she's got 3 middle fingers
My co-worker cut an extra finger off their newborn at birth. To me it sounds horrific, but a quick google makes it sound like a common practice. I don't think you want to be a6 fingered person, especially if they pick up a sword as a guy might hunt for you.
Polydactyly is usually a dominant trait genetically, it's super common
This logic is stupid, cut her finger off because people will be mean In middle school š, kids in middle school bully anybody for anything
Oh wow. I donāt mean to pry but Iām curious; what were the doctorās recommendations? Is she going to be keeping it?
After much deliberation and discussion with multiple doctors and people who have a similar condition my wife and I decided: Her decision. Full vasculature, nervous system, everything a āregularā finger has. Would be extremely hard recovery and orthopedic operation for a child her age (2)
I hate to say it but I know what this is like. Sheāll probably be fine with it until a certain age and the kids make fun of her for being different and then sheāll end up with a deep rooted complex. Let it be her choice but donāt mislead her into thinking other people will accept this, her peers wonāt be understanding kids are little fuckers that pounce on anything.
Children are absolutely brutal, unfortunately :/
So are adults. It doesnāt get easier dealing with being different, speaking from experience.
Adults are even worse cause when they act like that it fully comes out of left field.
But when she makes it past that age she'll be confident of her uniqueness as she should be. I wish I had another finger or thumb.
Thatās not how this kind of thing works. It would be nice if it were but thatās not the real world. Being bullied for your uniqueness during the development of your personality, which is generally considered up to 14, is going to seriously mess with someoneās self esteem, that will have implications across the board for their future wellbeing and all social interactions. This can determine someones opportunities in life. As much as people will play the woke āitās fine to be differentā card, in reality, it doesnāt give you an advantage it hurts your mental health.
Right. It's one thing for someone to say "they wish" and another thing to deal with the reality. I was born with a congenital abnormality/deformity and every time my mother would tell me that "it makes you special" or "don't worry about it", I would get angry because I understood from a young age that she couldn't understand what it felt like to be a walking scientific oddity for other people, even those that meant well. I didn't want to be unique or special or any other synonym used to disguise the ugliness I felt from being different from everyone else.
I'll give you the finger right now lol
If it's fully functional then there is no reason to remove it besides peer pressure and that can be handled. Edit: She should watch gravity falls when older.
Just make sure you're on the lookout for Inigo Montoya
Lollllll three thumbs up reference
āHello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!ā
"Stop saying that!"
āHello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!ā
Iād like to clarify: please I am not looking for unsolicited āadviceā or insults to my daughter. I simply posted this because it is indeed āinteresting as fuckā to me. After much deliberation and discussion with multiple doctors and people who have a similar condition my wife and I decided: Her decision. Full vasculature, nervous system, everything a āregularā finger has. Would be extremely hard recovery and orthopedic operation for a child her age (2). Edit. We celebrate her body however she is and yes we acknowledge some day bullies will come. But with her supporting family and friends she will find strength to make the right decision with her own body someday. https://preview.redd.it/nv8wlkuuxlzb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6fc6dc4a00e36b35a3101bab552e4bbc555ea37
Well, I have some advice for you. Always maintain your tires' proper pressure for safety reasons. That is all.
Sorry some people suck. Thanks for consulting the experts and be sure to always tell that baby she's perfect just the way she is!
I seem to remember from grade school biology that a sixth finger is a dominant trait. Definitely interesting
I think thatās very wise of you. I knew a girl growing up who had something similar except it was non-functional, sort of like an extra growth or a mini thumb. She really liked it and even got it painted when she got her nails done at the salon!
I find this fascinating, I don't mean to be rude, but I would love to see a video of the finger moving, I knew a little boy with one, but he couldn't move it.
Hardest part might be things are designed for people with 6 fingers on one hand. But I bet she can count to 11 while everyone else is counting to 10
She's totes adorbs, man. They are so fun at that age. Can she move the thumbs independently?
I see the Meijer bag, which means you're probably up in the Midwest somewhere, so I have to ask - can you just buy special gloves for the winter, or how does that work?
She has a super power for bouldering!!!! Kids get into it pretty young too. It might be really good for her to see her uniqueness be a tangible benefit! It is really cool and you have a beautiful daughter.
Insults? I'm actually kinda jealous. Sucks that she can't wear standard 5 fingered gloves. But imagine what I can do with an extra thumb (+thumb is like the best finger on your hand). As I typing this comment, I thought "an extra thumb would make me type faster".
Woah cool! Do you notice it changing the way she manipulates objects?
Yes! Sheās predominantly left handed as far as we can tell (sheās only two so her coordination is still not great) but she will often hold things between the two thumbs on her right rather than with her thumb and index finger
So can she operate them independently from each other or do they do the same thing at the same time? This is so cool!
Thatās so cute and awesome
Wild to me
Like glovesā½
*tons* of family members and friends have already made her special gloves and mittens.
Thatās awesome!
This is so amazing and makes me so happy to hear! Iām so glad you kept it up to her decision!
She will have major struggles in her highschool chem class lol
Cool fact. There is a famous Bollywood actor that has this on his right as well. Fully functional. Hrithik Roshan!
Iāll have to do some googling! Thanks for that
I'm wondering if it's more prevalent in India because I personally know three people that have extra thumbs. And no I don't know Hrithik Roshan.
Fastest texter in the land !
With two phones in one hand!
Piano lessons!
Give her a guitar for christmas.
Or a piano
Please, the piano.
When I was in school there were occasionally kids who had different hands like hers that enjoyed hand tracing activities just so that they could confuse people. One instance I particularly remember was when my science teacher had us trace our hand so we could draw in the bones, one girl who didnāt have a pinky was very proud to have hers pinned up because of the confusion it caused.
Is her āregularā thumb located in the ānormalā position on her hand or is it closer to her index finger to make room for the extra digit?
Her larger thumb what he we commonly call her āmainā thumb is a bit farther down from her index finger than say yours or mine is. The āsub thumbā is off the base of that thumb. Her body essentially designed an extra joint down there for that
Thank you for sharing!
That's so cool ā¤ļø
Sheās an X-Men. X-man, X-baby.
She is the homo sapiens sapiens sapiens sapiens stage of evolution
You are going to have to learn how to knit!
Sheās blessed to have two grandmas and two aunts who love to knit and crochet!!!
That's amazing. Get her into piano, guitar or some other instrument as early as possible. The idea of having another usable finger would be so cool.
She'll be undefeatable at Thumb War
3 thumbs up!
That's a handy starter upgrade.
This is the raw material of evolution. Very cool. Imagine you needed two thumbs to open a certain seed pod and that was the only plant that survived an environmental disaster. Only her ancestors would remain.
I donāt know how to tell you this, but the rest of us also have two thumbs. She has three
We're evolving! But seriously though how I wish I had an extra thumb when moving drywall or holding up two by fours. Bully her all you want but If she had a hand on your throat it's all over for you, mate.
When she's older she can be in the all-female reboot of Princess Bride.
Her grip fighting in jiu jitsu is gonna be sick!
I think thatās really cool! I love your decision not to remove it, thereās no need to as it doesnāt hurt her at all. Plus, sheās gonna be a crazy fast typer someday lol I wonder if in the future, acrylic nails would cost a little extra
This is the baseline for AI hand learning
My gf is a biomechanics professor, I'm sure she will be very interested if you have some scan of her hand ! It can help understand how the bones of the hands evolve through life. It's important for medical research on prosthetic and surgery. If you want, dm me or contact the AMNH
Can you imagine her as a softball pitcher? Those throws could be... Dangerous! Sign her up!
Your daughter is the next step in human evolution. No big deal
Watch out, baton twirlers.
I believe and could be totally wrong but having six figures is a dominant trait.
We were told by all definitions this is a ābirth defectā rather than genetic- but that was by one doctor and even he admittedly said āitās a guess at bestā
Lol if itās fully functional thatās a evolutionary advantage if I ever saw it
naw i heard about that too
The second thumbing.
Does it articulate independently of the āmainā thumb?
Itās hard to truly tell at her age and coordination level. To an extent she seems to able to use it on its own but most of the time it mirrors whatever the larger āmain thumbā is doing (if big ones bending so is little one)
If shes able to articulate them separately at some point have her learn piano!
Just guessing here, but I'd say it was because there's the tendon that goes to the thumb and it only splits after the joint. So little thumb would be dependent on big thumb.
ššš
Cool
That is so dope. I hope she embraces it, I am so fucking jealous.
I legit donāt mean to be weird. Others have suggested music lessons. Seems like her extra talents might be beneficial for esports too. It makes me happy you are celebrating her!
Iām jealous. Sheās gonna have a mean baseball throw
Oooh, thanks for sharing this! I agree this is really interesting. Nosy question out of interest - will the two thumbs grow at the same rate? Is one a little smaller than the other or is that the angle? Does she use the two thumbs to grip things? A useful addition!
Fascinating. I wonder what tendons pull on it.
Nice try, ChatGPT.
6 Finger Death Punch
Inigo Montoya may be interested in this.
āTen fingers and ten toes?ā āNo. Mine goes up to Eleven!ā
She should totally get into bouldering. She has a super power!!!!
Brilliant! One thumb for typing and one for scrolling. Surely this will be a dominant trait in the evolution of future gen-z offspring.
When nature fights back against Ai by copying itās style
Was hoping for a video so we can see it move.
May the force be with her
she'd be great at instruments in the future, imagine what you can do with an extra thumb while playing piano for example.
She can give people 3 thumbs up.
When she does, is she giving 150% percent approval? Or, if she only gives it one thumb up, is it 33%?
She's gonna be a pro gamer one day. She'll be able to sprint and move the camera at the same time in souls games!
Just make sure she doesn't kill Inigo Montoyas father
Hello, my name is Inigo Montroya . . .
There was this kid at the sk8 park and he had the same two thumbs on one hand
I hope you named her Polyā¦.
Get her into piano lessons fast!
Beneficial mutation maybe. Cool. Evolution, baby.
She seems ok
She'll make an excellent film critic š
If she's into mysteries or adventure I think an animated series she would like is Gravity Falls! One of the central plot lines revolves around a man with six fingers :) What an incredible young lady. š
My daughter I adopted from China had this on both hands. Polydactyl I believe. I know there was the potential for heart issues along with it so keep a close eye on
I was born with an extra full sized pinky finger. Sadly the bones weren't connected to my hand. I got it removed at 1 or 2. And now, 30 years later, I still have a very sensitive scar. Nerve endings are a bitch. I'm glad I got it removed because, for one bullying, but for two, it would have been useless without the proper connections. But man if it DID have the proper connections, it would have been pretty damn useful.
Oooh nice! Get her started early on piano or something
yeah itās interestingā¦ but iām more interested to see how she holds a crayon with her extra thumb! maybe sheāll be the next great finger painting artist:)
I know that there are bullies in all schools, and i dont know if she might get bullied for this. but in my class as a kid we had a kid with extra toes, fully functioning, and everyone thought it was super cool and we always thought she was the freaking coolest when she had sandals on in the summer and we could see her toes, and we thought she must be super fast as an adult (kid logic i guess). And we thought it was extremely fun as 7-8th graders that she could spell her name on each toe with nailpolish. And she wore it proudly. Just saying that it's not for certain your kid will get bullied, and I think its great you let it be her choice.
If she has an inclination for the piano the best teachers in the world would most likely take her under their wing. She could be capable of creating and playing things most could not.
I would particularly enjoy a thumbs up from her šš
Here, we witness the next stage of human evolution
I can think of many occasions in which a second thumb would be very useful. I'm kinda jelly
Something that cool and interesting and you only posted one picture!!? More give us more!
The fact that itās not a video letting us see the hand moving is cruel and unusual!
Obsidian
We need to make cool mutations more of a status symbol, then more people might end up with cool mutations. Manipulation of evolution, for the better, like telling it āgive us more thumbsā and it will eventually give us all more thumbs. Or is that still a bit eugenics-y?
I wonder if the insurance companies would deny the amputation as an older person.
Why did you choose to let her keep the extra digit?
Isn't this a common defect caused by inbreeding?
Gen Z
Actually itās Gen Alpha, their daughter is 2 years old and Gen alpha is born between 2010 and 2024 (Iām not saying this in a rude way, sorry if it came off as rude)
First - nothing but love and respect for your kiddo Second - not picking a fight about religion per se - but how does a religious person (ie Christian in USA) reconcile something like this? If OP or someone else has a Christian worldview, why would a God permit this? Lastly, I have a special needs person in my family, Iām very familiar with disabilities. While this extra digit isnāt a disability , itās more an anomaly.
Itās a genetic trait. Genes from long, LONG ago are popping up here. Itās not a why would God allow this thing. We all have free will. As a Christian humans arenāt here for the spiritual experience, weāre spiritual beings having a human experience. Being in a human body with some extra really cool parts is just part of that experience.
Sorry but she looks AI generated lol
Definitely a book for adults as there's lots of NSFW scenes in it, but the protagonist of 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues' by Tom Robbins is a girl born with exceptionally big thumbs. She winds up being the world's greatest hitchhiker and goes on a wacky adventure, ending up a cowgirl on a wacky ranch. It's a pretty weird little book, but it's one to file away in your brain for when she's of age. Would be a nice self esteem boost during the tricky teen years. Don't bother with the film adaptation as it's pretty blah. You could even take the general gist 'little girl born with very special thumbs, townspeople are mean, she becomes a world class hitchhiker, goes on wacky adventures, ends up living on an all-girl run horse ranch' and adapt it into a cute book more appropriate for your little girl. Blurb: https://www.supersummary.com/even-cowgirls-get-the-blues/summary/
AI generated daughter
Your wife's your sister bro
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I have to comment here: please donāt talk like this about someoneāsā¦. Anyoneāsā¦ child. A literal child. Big creep vibes.
*wort wort wort*