Life Matters - Full program podcast
Life Matters - Full program podcast
ABC Australia
Grandparenting through conflict and estrangement and Odyssey-inspired literary travel
54 minutes Posted Jul 19, 2026 at 11:00 pm.
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Show notes
When your kids become parents, it can feel like deja vu. You've weathered these same toddler tantrums and teenage rebellions — but this time it's your grandchildren testing the boundaries, and your own kids are now the ones in charge. For this instalment of The Grandparent Trap, it's time to explore some trickier territory. Author, podcaster and Mamamia editor Jessie Stephens and her mum Anne Stephens share how their relationship dynamic changed when the family added a new generation, and family psychologist Dr Josh Coleman weighs in on how to navigate conflict and estrangement if things aren't going so well.
Plus, Dark Emu author Bruce Pascoe (or "Papa Bruce" to his grandkids) explains his role as the "grumpy grandparent" insistent on table manners and raising his grandchildren to become conscientious citizens. 
And if Christopher Nolan's screen interpretation of The Odyssey has got you dreaming of a Mediterranean holiday, you're not alone. Tourism operator Sam Wood, author Larissa Behrendt and The Book Show's Claire Nichols explore what's behind the rising trend in literary travel.