Defended custodies are usually seen as the hardest type of family dispute for which the conciliation method of dispute resolution is available. Family mediators assess custody disputes of ex‐nuptial children among de facto couples, as the least likely to have a successful outcome. Custody disputes about ex‐nuptial children between mothers and their mothers constitute a particular subgroup of these and may be viewed as symptomatic of an adolescent/parental dispute rather than an actual custody dispute.This paper describes the psychosocial correlates of teenage mothers and the context in which the pregnancies develop, as well as the demographic and social characteristics of a minority of young mothers who engaged in custody disputes with their own mothers. Stierlin's conceptual framework is presented as a way of considering the dynamics of these families.The writer, based on her experiences with this subgroup of mothers, outlines the point at which conciliation might be appropriately offered, describes the process of mediation and its stages and suggests a suitable format. Necessary guidelines for the conduct of the sessions, techniques for engaging these families, pitfalls and potential problems are highlighted and examples from actual cases gi