Richard Glover: How to Ruin a Child

Long before parenting influencers, Australian parents were being told how to raise their children by an ever-changing cast of experts – from magazine columnists and nurses to priests and government agencies. The rules were delivered with certainty: get it wrong and you might ruin your child. Then the rules changed, and the experts changed their minds.

In his hilarious and clever new book, beloved author and former host of ABC Radio Sydney’s Thank God It’s Friday, Richard Glover traces the strange history of parenting advice in Australia. What can decades of contradictory wisdom teach us about raising children today? Perhaps the most comforting lesson is that there’s never been one right way – and most children turn out just fine.

For anyone who’s raised a child, survived being one, or confidently told someone else how to do it, join Richard in conversation with Suzanne Leal for a funny and cathartic conversation about parenting, bad advice and the rules we’ve all been told to follow.

This Bondi Books & Ideas Weekend event is presented by Waverley Council and Gertrude & Alice Bookstore. With thanks to Harper Collins.

Age Suitability: Recommended for audiences 16+

Warning Details: Adult themes