Long before the rise of 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, endured 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.

Richard Glover has written several bestselling books, including The Land Before Avocado, Flesh Wounds and Love, Clancy. He's been a regular columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Washington Post, and for many years hosted the comedy program Thank God It's Friday on ABC Radio Sydney.

Suzanne Leal is the author of novels The Watchful Wife, The Teacher’s Secret and The Deceptions, winner of the Nib People’s Choice Prize in 2020. Her novel for middle-grade readers, Running with Ivan, is on the Children’s Book Council of Australia Notables List for Younger Readers and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s History Awards and the ARA Historical Novel Prize. An experienced facilitator and interviewer, Suzanne is the founder of Thursday Book Club, a relaxed book club connecting readers online. The Year We Escaped is her new novel for middle-grade readers.

This Bondi Books & Ideas Weekend event is presented by Waverley Council, with support from Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. With thanks to Harper Collins.