My ‘Alpha in the house’ theory is simply that there needs to be one decision-maker at home who has the final vote. I am not for a minute saying that it should be the man of the house. No. All I am saying is, whether it is the male or the female, the husband or the wife, it should be clear who out of the two is going to have the final say at home.

There are many advantages to this approach. One, it takes the conflict away from routine as well as the not-so-routine decisions in the family. The other thing that it does, and this is very important, is that if there are children in the house, it gives them grounding and balance. When the children know who to look up to and who to follow, it becomes easier for them to shape the course of their life for their future. On the other hand, when the children see their parents constantly in a tug-of-war for control and authority and have no clue who is the leader in the household, it leads to a disorientated psyche, which more often than not develops into a series of psychological issues in adulthood. The best outcome of adopting this method is that it leads to a serene, calm, loving and harmonious home, with only the occasional blips and hiccups that are also important to have in every relationship.

The advanced understanding and implementation of this theory is when roles are clearly defined at home and the Yin and the Yang both decide upon who is the boss in which department of the house.

At my house for example, I am banned from entering the kitchen or interfering with the menu, appliances, and food and there is a clear Laxman Rekha defined for me which says, ‘Do not enter’. When there is a party at home, I cannot put in a suggestion if it does not gel with what is in the ‘Boss’s’ mind.