I had one family that I was in love with, so I kept playing it, so sim after sim died off from old age and of course kids and grandkids took over the tradition. Before I lost that file, I was up to 18 generations, maybe more and had placed the headstones in a corner of the park. I guess if you have a plan, it seems to make it more interesting. They were in the same house, with the least amount of sims being 6, until the eldest passed and then I would have one sibling bring in a spouse and the cycle continued. I have had pretty good luck with the nannies and the butlers so far, they really do help with the kids and for the most part has been pretty rewarding. Good luck.