On asserting Parental Authority

I've been living it up a bit over the last week, flitting in and out of dinners and consuming calories far in excess of licensed capacity. Several of those calories were in the form of beverages from Scotland, which always wakes up the beast in the missus. Consequently, I have been hauled by the scruff of my neck to the gym, from which I was merrily playing hookey on the grounds of too much work. "You shouldn't drink" said the missus at a typical Shenoy breakfast conference. "You tend to talk nonsense". I looked at my sons. They reviewed this comment and posted dissenting judgments. Vyaas, the elder one, usually sides with the ruling junta, unless bribed.

"Yes, Annie. The other day you told everyone that John Abraham joke thrice."

"They laughed all three times", I protested.

"That's because all of you were sloshed" said Sheela, keenly observant as ever.

"Hey, give us a break. We're meeting after like ten years. "

"You have so many old friends you're always meeting someone after like ten years at any given point of time."

I was rapidly losing ground and needed support. I looked at Gautham hopefully.

"Mom, that's not true". The lad was standing by me!

"What's not true?" asked Sheela.

"That Annie talks nonsense when he's had drinks."

" Yeah?" said Sheela, with a hint of menance in her voice. She doesn't appreciate my dragging in the progeny into these conferences. Something about losing parental authority. I care two hoots, frankly. All sensible boys know that their father is a doofus.

"Annie talks nonsense even when he's not had drinks", Gautham completed his sentence.

And scooted before I could clout him a richly deserved one. These kids, I tell you! Maybe it's time to do something about that parental authority bit. But what?......