Preteens absolutely should be added to the game, because right now there’s a huge and awkward jump between children and teens, especially since teens in the Sims 4 are the same height as adults and basically use adult proportions, animations, and clothing. Saying “kids up to 12 are technically preteens” doesn’t matter when the actual gamelplay doesn’t reflect that developmental stage at all. If anything, infants already proved that “we already have something similar” isn’t a real argument, infants replaced bassinet babies and added depth, personality, animations, milestones, and a smoother aging progression. Preteens would do the same thing by giving us a transitional phase with unique behaviors, moods, systems like body changes or early interests, and a more realistic growth curve instead of sending small kids straight into adult-sized teens. Adding preteens would fill the biggest remaining gap in the life stages, and it would finally make the teen stage feel like a true progression rather than an instant size jump.