CALGARY, Alberta, April 3 (UPI) -- Canadian researchers have found that Canadian fathers do better than fathers from other countries in reading to and playing with their kids.
Anne Gauthier, the University of Calgary researcher who conducted the research, analyzed the diaries of fathers from eight countries to determine which ones were most attentive to their children.
Canadian fathers spent the most time -- about one hour and 20 minutes a day -- focused on their children, the Globe and Mail reported Saturday.
U.S. fathers were a close second. At the back of the pack were Italian men, who who spent only 30 minutes a day on their children.
Canadian mothers, on the other hand, fell more into the middle of the pack compared to mothers from other countries.
Gauthier said that fathers have made the largest shift in the last 30 years, though she cannot explain why North American men have become especially diligent about making time for their children -- more so even than fathers in countries like Norway and Sweden, renowned for parenting policies.
