I wondered if this might happen. It’s probably the most complex single scene aside from the pet adoption, things couldn’t have gone that swimmingly right off.
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Is volunteering also on the table? Last semester, I volunteered every weekend on the pediatric unit at my local hospital, and it was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life (I had also volunteered at the same hospital in the past).
Regarding the stats screen, I like its format so far. I feel like the pet’s gender should be included, as should the house and the future job.
@hustlertwo, is your avatar your dog?
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Hadn’t considered volunteering, but I like the sound of it. Fairly likely that suggestion will be added to the list.
All dogs are boys and all cats are girls. That’s just science. All seriousness, probably wouldn’t put pet gender on there since it is a bit irrelevant, but house is a maybe.
Yes, that was the original Buddy (not literally, of course, just the one who inspired using the name in the story). The pet surprise scene is based largely on my own experience getting him Christmas of 1996. He passed away in 2010.
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May your dog live a good life in heaven.
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I liked how it changes with the years, although I do feel it’s still a bit empty. Maybe a line should be added for the kid’s activity. Perhaps lines for the classes they choose in high school or that job in year 17 could be added, too.
Here’s the numbers from my stat screen – all of these are from the beginning of the year and from a randomized playthrough.
Year 5
We have $4870 left in the college fund.
Self: 43% - Sacrifice: 57%
Freedom: 43% - Structure 57%
Independence: 50% - Closeness 50%
Traditional: 42%- Modern: 58%
Year 10
We also have a pet cat named Astro.
We have $5420 left in the college fund.
Self: 39% - Sacrifice: 61%
Freedom: 40% - Structure 60%
Independence: 46% - Closeness 54%
Traditional: 45% - Modern: 55%
Child Popularity: 50% - Child Individuality: 50%
Education: 57% - Athletics: 43%
Year 14
We also have a pet cat named Astro.
We have $6660 left in the college fund.
Self: 38% - Sacrifice: 62%
Freedom: 41% - Structure 59%
Independence: 43% - Closeness 57%
Traditional: 46% - Modern: 54%
Child Popularity: 52% - Child Individuality: 48%
Education: 60% - Athletics: 40%
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Is it weird I would like to see more biking/swimming scenes? Going to the pool with my dad and twin every week was one of the more defining moments of childhood for me.
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Like others have said, it’d be nice to have a camping trip with the child.
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I thought of an idea that I would like to see in the game, if you take suggestions of course.
You don’t have to do it 
but maybe a scene where your child develops a phobia like for clowns, the dark, spiders, (or when they are very little even the vacuum can be a big fear (‘will I be sucked into it too!?’)). Allowing the player to choose the phobia can be fun, mby the parent is the same/grew out of it/never had that fear. And how they teach their kids to deal with them: understanding/ supportive/ feeling like the child is being childish/… it can deepen bonds too, or weaken them.
Just an idea, do with it as you please 
however I do see it as something that would happen between 4-9 years, when the fantasy of a child is still very strong.
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I understand completely completely if not, but is there any chance in the bullying scene if you child is a bully, you can add a physical punishment option?
I only say this because a LOT of parents are old fashioned and still resort to hitting their kids. Not that I approve, but I feel it would add an element of realism to the game.
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You know what I dread most from this game? That my 17 year old son would come to me one day and tell me, ‘Mom, I think I may have got my girlfriend pregnant.’
Every parents worst nightmare. Or at least one of the top three.
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Okay, but a pregnancy scare would be very interesting to deal with, not to speak of an actual pregnancy, but I think that one would be a bit more complicated
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Pretty sure if we can’t handle girls getting their periods, we’re not going to have pregnancy scares.
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probably not 
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True. Admittedly, I would not have done a pregnancy thing either way. I really would put puberty stuff in there if I could, but I do not feel confident doing so would still allow me access to the most family-friendly ratings.
As for physicality, the spanking option for the little runaway at the grocery store is about as much as I really want to include. In fact, I recently went back and changed the option where you physically lift the kid out of the chair after telling their teacher they were smarter than he was in order to tell the kid off; it read far too brutal for the situation, or possibly any situation. Now you just bend down to their level to give them the business.
Phobias…an interesting notion. But with how long it is taking me to write the last chapters, a bunch of extra scenes back early on may not be likely. Year 15 already expanded beyond what I expected when I realized I needed a last scene for all the acting folks to tie it together.
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So there is a bug in the first scene when you bring the dog home.
Sometimes, it will call my dog, my kids name. So instead of Buddy, Billy is calling Buddy, Billy. It has happened to me a few times now.
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I love this and I can’t wait for the next year!
I’m so ready to have children, apparently. Probably.
Given how we’re allowed to choose our sexuality and all that, do you think there’d be a scene where the child gets used to their own sexuality in the future? I think that’s a very important growth period for teens who are gay and have straight parents, or teens who are straight and have gay parents. It’s just a big life event, y’know?
Also, I’m very happy with Cracker. He’s a lovely pet.
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I agree, it would be a good thing to include LGBT inclusion - especially as the child gets older. BUT, as Hustler has stated before, I don’t think we will get anything like gender, romance, love, or the such due to being a G-rated game.
I do agree however!
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I know that for a lot of the folks here, my lack of any sort of romantic content for parent or child isn’t a popular notion, and that’s OK. I don’t mind anyone that suggests it, but as Q said, it’s just not in the cards. Partly because I want to see what impact a truly family-friendly G-equivalent rating has on sales not just among the CoG faithful but those outside of its sphere who might encounter the story, and partly because I don’t want to and the same stubbornness that has helped me write a quarter of a million words in less than two years almost exclusively between the hours of 3 AM and 7 AM also keeps me from yielding on things at times. I won’t go so far as to say I’ll never do a story with romance, but it’s entirely possible.
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Quick question: I am finally starting on the activity tryout scene after finishing both class selection and the last acting scenes (yes, it’ll be another long chapter. No, I apparently don’t know any other way to be at this point). Would it be too absurd for the public school team to be the Adams High School Doges, complete with slogans like “Much touchdowns, many scores!” and the like? I have a hard time telling when ridiculous becomes too ridiculous, as my NPT readers can likely attest.
Oh, and homeschool kids, you’d be on the Doges too thanks to the Tebow Law. Edgewick, I don’t know what mascot I will select. Possibly the Edgewick Fighting Peacocks, in honor of The Other Guys.
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I feel like the Doges will date the game.
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