DadTalk

Children do better with fathers around

Fathers who play an active and hands-on role in their children's lives leave them with a rich legacy.

The youngsters grow up to be more intelligent and climb higher up the social ladder than those whose mothers are left to do the bringing up, a major study suggests.

A 50-year project following 17,000 babies born in the same week found those whose fathers took a more active role in reading and playing with them went on to be more successful in later life. The study followed up with later interviews as the subjects grew up to see if they had children of their own and to test their social mobility, and examine whether they had done better than their parents.

The report, by Daniel Nettle of the Centre for Behaviour and Evolution at Newcastle University, found that fathers who spent time with their children produced offspring with a higher IQ and greater social status.

Although fathers were more likely to spend time with boys than girls, both sexes benefited equally from the interaction with their fathers.

Another finding of the study was that children born to older fathers run an increased risk of having autism, say researchers.

To read the full story go to the Mail Online