Moving to Canada with teenagers? Then you’ll want to read this post from the New York Times’ Motherlode blog:

Good news for parents. Your teenagers like you!

Or, they do if you live in Canada.

That’s according to Project Teen Canada, a multi-year study of Canadian kids and teens, led by University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby.

Among the study’s findings:

In Canada today, young people are experiencing better ties with their mothers and fathers than any groups of teens in the past thirty years. Nearly 80% say they “are receiving high levels of enjoyment from their mothers” (up from around 70% in 1992 and similar to what teens reported in the early 1980s), and roughly 75% report enjoying being with their dads (also up about ten percent).

“The evidence points to an improved level of understanding between young people and their parents. In 1992, 58% of teens said they were troubled about not being understood by their parents; today the figure has fallen to 39%.”

Teens even report fewer weekly arguments with their folks – down from 52% a decade ago to 42% now.

So why are Canadian teens finding it easier to get along with their parents?

The study concluded that “one basic reason seems to stand out: moms and dads are doing a much better job of finding a balance between careers and family life.”

You can read more details about the study from Professor Bibby’s website.  Also check out Macleans‘ report on Canadian youth culture and on other aspects of the Project Teen study.

Photo by HA! Designs/artbyheather (flickr)