If you were to walk into my house during dinnertime or during a movie night, you could tell my parenting style from where I sit. And there is a reason I sit where I do.
The house I grew up in was arranged like most houses during the 70s and 80s. Our living room showcased the hierarchy of the home. A couch and a loveseat lined up along the walls opposite one another while my father’s recliner received a direct view of the t.v.. If you were seated on the couch or loveseat, you had to turn your head or body to watch t.v.. My father’s chair always seemed silly to me, even though my sister and I would fight over it when he wasn’t around. It was silly that only one person could have the best view of the t.v. It was silly that everyone huddled close together, while one sat all alone.
In my house, a couch sits directly in front of the t.v. and a love seat sits off to the side. There are no chairs. There are 6 people in my family, and we often squeeze altogether on the couch. Arms wrap around one another, legs cross in different directions, but we’re all on the same viewing page. If there was a chair, chances are it would be shared by two people.
The same goes for my seat at the dinner table. Growing up, my parents sat at both ends of the table, while my sister and I sat across from one another in the middle. We have a long rectangular table, but my seat is the same one I occupied as a child, right in the middle. In my seat, I am in the midst of the action. Everything goes through me and around me. I am smack dab in the middle of my family.
Fatherhood looks a lot different now than it did generations ago. Dads are stepping into the middle of their families, instead of watching from the top. Trickle down fatherhood is on its way out, while a more engaged and hands-on approach has taken its place. My seating arrangements may not be the way of the generations before me, but it is my way. My kids, wife, and I sit (or stand) shoulder to shoulder – whether taking on tasks, being entertained, or simply just living. And this way, no one in my family is alone.
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I love this. Sounds like my house (except we have only 4, not 6). We have a sectional and the center seat faces the t.v. while the others side at bit of an angle. The seat that faces the t.v, more often than not, has 2 people in it. At the table we all have our spots, but I too am in the middle of it all. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
Thank you. We can experience a lot more by being in the middle.
Love this!
Thank you.
Thanks for sharing this “perspective”. I hadn’t really thought about it too much. At our house the couch faces the TV and there’s only one other chair to the side. Only 4 of us total. At dinner we have an oval shaped table and really without thinking about it too much, mom son sit on one side and my wife and daughter sit on the other.
great read. Six! I only have four 😉
#blogcrush
Such a great perspective – I never thought about it like that. We have a 3 seater opposite the tv, but it normally still ends up in some kind of fight. lol
As for the dinner table, there are 4 of us and we all sit in the middle, neglecting the ends.
#blogcrush
I love the perspective.
It is so much better to actually get involved with family times rather than sitting alone. My husband is the same and so am I, no one sits at the end of the table and we love to sit together on the sofa with our kids. I much prefer modern parent to how it used to be xx #BlogCrush
That is a fantastic concept to do away with the hierarchy of the old days. A family should be one. Well written piece. 🙂
Really enjoyed this read. Great post!
Love it! Same at my house!