Does your father / husband sit at the head of the table?

[Orchidgal]

Wondering how common it still is for the male ‘head of the household’ to sit at the head of the table.

YANBU= yes he does
YABU = no (or sometimes / not deliberately)

Hadn't thought about the"head" being special, but depending which way you look either our baby or preschooler sit at the head.
I'd have thought the sides were better anyway - the main reasons for sitting the kids at the heads is either of us can feed them, and secondly they can only reach what we put in range, the baby is at the grabbing stage. From the side you can easily reach the whole table which is better for adults.

My dad does and if anyone else sits at the head of the table he asks them to move. He also won't let me open a bottle of wine or pour it because obviously only men can do that🤬

My husband does sit at the head of the table but it wasn't a conscious thing. He's disabled and it's the easiest seat for him to get to

No. The high chair is at the end of the table so each of the three kids has had their turn at being the “head of the table”.

Nope. DD sits there in her high chair. If she isn't there it's likely to be a fruit bowl, a toy dinosaur/octopus/goose or a jug of water.

My parents and in-laws have round tables.

No. We don't bother with any of that nonsense in this house.

Is it 1956?

Yes he always has, because it’s easy access to get to the kitchen to check on things. If it wasn’t him cooking, which is once in a blue moon, he sits where the 3 year old tells him to!

Growing up, my Dad did. We all had 'our place' and I felt very discombobulated if I sat anywhere else! I'm like that everywhere, I have 'my seat' even in the local cafes/pubs and hate it when someone else dares to sit in 'my' seat!!
🤣

My Dad was best off there as he was the broadest, so more space on the sides if he sat there out of the way!!

We sit on the sides. Everyone has 'their space'. Apart from my discombobulating, it makes it easier to place things in appropriate places & drinks, favourite bits & pieces. (Keep things away from very little people).

@Orchidgal maybe he sits there for practical reasons, but it was just the easiest way to describe it to you?!?!

We mostly for in the kitchen at a semi-circular table, so no on a daily basis.

But yes if we have guests and are at the big dining table. It's the spot that's most remote from the kitchen, and he'd usually be srting out those who are already sitting while I bring stuff from the kitchen. But seating is mostly dictated more by how many high chairs and how they fit!!!

My grandfathers did (born 1906 and 1916). My dad didn’t and still doesn’t. PILs have a round dining table.

I don’t recall the concept ever having crossed my mind for at least 30 years.

I can’t imagine it’s that common.
My husband is not the “head” of the family so why would we turn meals into some weird hierarchy?

No, we sit along the long sides usually so no one is at the head. The idea of it being the man's place seems very old fashioned.

Husband doesn’t. My dad doesn’t never has. I think one of my grandfathers did, other didn’t for sure. My father in law does and it’s very much a thing for him and MIL, I think they’ve made random comments when at ours but I think it’s nonsense and not how most houses work these days anyway

We sit 2 on each side, so no one sits at the head or the foot. If we have guests, whoever has the broadest shoulders sits at the end so they don't jostle when we squeeze in. Usually that is DH just because he's bigger but one day I think it will be DS2.

I don't like sitting at the end because I can't reach all the food!! Always in the middle.

When I went round the house of my first ever boyfriend, circa 1998, I made the terrible faux pas of sitting at the head of the table, where apparently only his esteemed father must sit. Everyone gasped at me as if I’d taken a dump on the chair.
Said father was a prick, and so was said boyfriend.
And with that empirical data under my belt, I vowed never to put up with such an arrangement again.

Not really possible with the way our table is currently positioned but don't see anything wrong with the idea per se.

I'm sorry WHAT?

No one sits at the head when it’s the 4 of us, but if we have guests, I tend to sit there as it’s closest to the kitchen so I can easily get things.

my in-laws hate that I sit there and FIL used to make comments that he should sit there as head of the family 🙄I told him he could as long as he was happy fetching anything we needed from the kitchen and funnily enough the comments stopped.

mind you, FIL also refuses to take his plate in when he’s finished and waits for MIL to take it in 😡

Other than in-laws I don’t know anyone who thinks that way.

My dad didn't (still doesn't) and DH doesn't either. I don't actually remember where my grandad used to sit.

errr no. He’s also not head of our household.

My DH does but its for practicality. He is enourmous and takes up massess of space. He can only sit on particular chairs as hd breaks others as he is over the weight limit.

Only DS and I at a table that seats 6, I sit nearest
kitchen - he sits nearest door just our favourite seats
when DP is round he sits next to me
‘head’ of table seat is usually empty

No, our son sits at the "head" of the table and we sit either side! Just the way we've always done it and it's always how I sat with my parents. On Xmas day I put my dad at the head of the table though! And my son at the other end

He does. But only because it’s the easiest seat for getting in and out of it our youngest needs something.

I often have my meals interrupted by her needs at breakfast and lunch so my dinner is sacrosanct when DH is home

Which end is the head? I sit one end DH sits the other DS is in the middle