How To Ruin A Child

How To Ruin A Child by Richard Glover is a sharp, funny parenting book that looks at a century of Australian child-rearing advice and asks why the “experts” were so confident, so often, and so wrong. With a journalist’s eye and a comedian’s timing, Glover sifts through manuals, columns and official guidelines to show how rules about feeding, sleeping, discipline and “proper” behaviour have swung wildly from one era to the next. The result is both hilarious and oddly comforting: if the advice keeps changing, maybe today’s parents can stop chasing perfection and start trusting their own judgement. Perfect for new parents, exhausted carers, and anyone who enjoys Australian humour with a dose of social history, this is also a great gift for baby showers and first-time mums and dads. Add it to your bedside stack for a reassuring read you’ll keep quoting.