Sims are bad, bad parents! Some experiments.....

[Asleep]

Darn.

[jessiethedog]

Maybe the parent being an elder might help...I'm going to try it.

[pologolf]

The Simbot/human/ghost experiment didn't go too well. For the first time I saw a Level 10 Athlete work himself out to death through hunger, the others got into mourning and the baby was taken. Lasted two weeks. The Simbot took more care of the kid than the parents but kept shorting out!

For those wondering, I turn the volume right down so I don't have to listen and have a complete non-interference policy. If the phone rings the response is always no to the call, and if they start to work out, I don't select "don't break a sweat". I also now allow them to go "stir crazy" as it's only a -15 moodlet.

I hadn't thought of an elder....that's next

[jeanamariex3]

I had Jared take his daughter away from her mother (his ex Claire Ursine) via edit town, no cheats, high free will, and he bonded with his daughter quite well. Claire did not beg for her daughter back once, nor did she attempt to visit her. When I sent the baby back with her mother, her social meter took a nose dive and Claire was just sitting there watching TV, while the baby was screaming and crying. She was warned by the social worker, so I moved her back with Jared. So in my expierence, cheats or no cheats, Sims don't care about what happens to their children and/or exes until it's too late. I also should add that none of Claire's wishes included "quit job" but did include "earn promotion" "join theft branch" and even "make level 7 of Criminal Career" and also to "slap Jared" while Justine and Marty always want to "Snuggle" "Pick Up" and "Play with" their baby boy.

Basically, it all depends on the Sims parenting wise. The good parents' wishes always include "snuggle" "pick up" and "play with" and "quit job" (Keaton Family, Jared Frio) while the bad parents (Claire Ursine, Alto Family) don't have the "snuggle" "pick up" "play with" or "quit job" wishes, but have "promotion" and "advance" wishes Vita and Claire both want to steal candy (sometimes Claire has the evil trait, cheats or not) from their babies. Stealing Candy makes babies' social meter go up too, and the relationship meter actually goes up.

[Veldmuisie]

Pologolf, thanks so much for this entertaining thread!  I read all your experiments to my husband and we laughed and laughed.  He wants to know if you would want to try with a buch of simbots only.  Not sure if this is do-able, but please keep experimenting and reporting your results here!

EDIT: My husband insists that this should be done in a chamber as deep underground as possible for effect. Yes he is a weirdo.

[jessiethedog]

I tried this, with a mother that is family-orientated, friendly, a natural cook and I can't remember the other two and a father that disliked children, was hot-headed and again I can't remember the rest, although they were ones I consider to be 'neutral' traits that don't really effect gameplay much on free will. I adopted three children and they had three naturally (all singles, no triplets or twins).
Oddly, the father did most, if not all of the work! There is a pattern emerging here. Ironically, the only time the babies and toddlers went hungry was when the father died of starvation 
Also, I found that when pregnant, the mother looked after her children much more, almost as much as the father. Hmm...

@Veldmuisie-Haha! Great idea!

[pologolf]

Pologolf, thanks so much for this entertaining thread!  I read all your experiments to my husband and we laughed and laughed.  He wants to know if you would want to try with a buch of simbots only.  Not sure if this is do-able, but please keep experimenting and reporting your results here!

EDIT: My husband insists that this should be done in a chamber as deep underground as possible for effect. Yes he is a weirdo.

Yeah, I can do it with two simbots. The home made ones seem pretty good when they're not shorting out.

I got Late night and want to try a couple of vampires first.

In a recent one I did, the father, who was BEGGING for a child got one, his wishes were to snuggle "The Poor Kid" and hold "The Poor Kid" - I decided to be more realistic with baby names......he didn't go near it for three days.

The baby was taken, of course and he went into despair without having met the kid and despite having lost his son managed to remain "elated".

So, I tried another tack. Dad adopted and immediately came up with the "wants 10 children" wish. I obliged. Kicked out the partner and adopted him 7 babies. He worked his fingers to their pixelled bones, fell constantly to the floor to sleep.

So, it seems the more kids they have, the more they look after them. It was too easy for him so I spread them around the lot a bit.........gone!

[pologolf]

Found a new method that really works!

Give a level 10 cook one baby and NO entertainment in the house whatsoever. No TV, no books, no decoration and no friends.

The only way for the Sim to have any fun is to play with the baby or lay on the bed and daydream/nap when the baby is asleep.

Have so far gone 20 weeks with this and both father and son have always been in the green.

Extremely boring to watch, however.................

[Hosfac]

I had Jared take his daughter away from her mother (his ex Claire Ursine) via edit town, no cheats, high free will, and he bonded with his daughter quite well. Claire did not beg for her daughter back once, nor did she attempt to visit her. When I sent the baby back with her mother, her social meter took a nose dive and Claire was just sitting there watching TV, while the baby was screaming and crying. She was warned by the social worker, so I moved her back with Jared. So in my expierence, cheats or no cheats, Sims don't care about what happens to their children and/or exes until it's too late. I also should add that none of Claire's wishes included "quit job" but did include "earn promotion" "join theft branch" and even "make level 7 of Criminal Career" and also to "slap Jared" while Justine and Marty always want to "Snuggle" "Pick Up" and "Play with" their baby boy.

Basically, it all depends on the Sims parenting wise. The good parents' wishes always include "snuggle" "pick up" and "play with" and "quit job" (Keaton Family, Jared Frio) while the bad parents (Claire Ursine, Alto Family) don't have the "snuggle" "pick up" "play with" or "quit job" wishes, but have "promotion" and "advance" wishes Vita and Claire both want to steal candy (sometimes Claire has the evil trait, cheats or not) from their babies. Stealing Candy makes babies' social meter go up too, and the relationship meter actually goes up.

Actually, a little info about Claire and Jared:  I recently played a game where I got the two of them back together.  I had them work out their problems, she and their daughter moved in with him and his brother, and they even got married.  But any time I was off managing one of the other two sims (Connor or the daughter), if Jared and Claire were in the house together, Jared would go and pick a fight with her.  Yes, Jared.  I caught him in the act numerous times.  He picked fights with Claire constantly, despite the fact that their relationship was maxed, and in a bit over a week, she hated him again.  And everyone thinks Claire is the bad one.  Sorry, I don't buy that anymore

But anyways, I've never had trouble with parents taking care of a child.  In fact, I usually have the exact opposite problem...they won't leave the baby alone so it can sleep.  In Dynasty households, I have to put the baby in it's mother's room and lock the door to everyone but her, unless she isn't home.  But when she's not, only one person at a time ever has access to the child unless it's old enough to go to school.  Otherwise, any conscious adult will go in and wake the baby up so they can snuggle it or play with it.

Babysitters are another story.  They seem to hate children.  I've only had one babysitter ever do a good job of caring for a baby.  Everyone else watches tv or naps on the couch.

[Saltypaws]

I think I replied to this in an earlier post, but hey, thought I would do it again.  I guess I just have never had bad parents then.  I have them teach them to walk and talk, without being prompted and as soon as the baby is in the red from socialization, the parents are right there to snuggle and play with or even feed.  I just sit there and watch in amazement as my sims do their own thing on their own.  Babysitters I have not had too much problem with either.  I posted a picture in my story of a babysitter that was tossing the toddler in the air and playing with her.  It never mattered which traits they had, they always took care of their babies.  I would imagine though, that the "dislikes children" might be the exception.  I have played Thornton a couple of times and they have had children, but I think Morganna pretty much took care of them.  That has been a while back, so I guess it just amazes me that other peoples sims do not take care of their babies and are taken away.  Funny how everyone has different experiences in their game than others.

[bshag]

@ pologolf, you had me laughing til I cried...great thread and experiments.  But I am truly amazed at your nerves of steel.  

[Ankaret]

This is a really entertaining thread!

I have the same problem as Jeana Marie - my poor babies barely get any sleep.  Especially if there are teens in the house, I often see both parents and a sibling or two all jostling around the cot waiting to play with the baby.

[ratchie]

I was wondering if you could do me a favour. Could you do some testing and see who makes the best townie parents from Sunset Valley?
The idea I was toying with was to have each family adopt a child and see who copes the best. I did a little testing with the Wolffs and Thornton was a pretty good father. He hated every minute of it, but still attended to baby Morton more than Morganna.

Rachel

[LoveEvil]

This thread is funny.  

I have really only played one family fully with young children, it was awful when all 5 of them were young. Best of it was when the eldest grew up and got married I had her move into the house next door, I got really fed up with her taking the toddlers out in the garden and leaving them there, I kept sending my sim over to take them back in the house. I moved her to the otherside of town after a while so I didn't have to hear them crying all the time.

[pologolf]

I was wondering if you could do me a favour. Could you do some testing and see who makes the best townie parents from Sunset Valley?
The idea I was toying with was to have each family adopt a child and see who copes the best. I did a little testing with the Wolffs and Thornton was a pretty good father. He hated every minute of it, but still attended to baby Morton more than Morganna.

Rachel

I have not deliberately run this type of experiment but so far Christopher Steel is the best townie father. He RUNS to the baby - even if it's not his own. Like having a permanent baby sitter in the house!