Autonomy and parenting

"DaniRose2143;d-1000778" wrote:
I'm really new to playing with autonomy on and allowing my sims to direct their lives with as little input from me as possible. In my werewolf save, mom Ava and dad Lou are not exactly parent of the year material. I was hoping they'd come around and start to focus more on little Evie, but she's kind of raising herself.

If I were to take over again for a short time and click through the parenting interactions would they learn to do those on their own the way they do with fun things like playing on the computer or their phones, or even painting. They're good at keeping her fed, they will put her to bed and tuck her in, but they won't potty train her, they just clean and change her after she uses her diaper. I've always been a micromanager and queued all these actions for my sims so I have no idea what parenting actions they naturally do autonomously.

I play with autonomy on, too. But that doesn't mean I don't intercede when necessary. Remember, the Pause button is your friend. I can't and I won't allow the Toddlers to go hungry, run exhausted, or constantly have their attention bar in the red. It may take some doing, my parents are family-oriented, but sometimes, they get distracted — which one of us doesn't? But, if all else fails, I'll send the Tot to the Potty, so long as they're at least at level 2. I have been known to also have the older Sim open the fridge, so I can drag some food out onto the counter, and then I'll send the Tot to grab the serving.

All autonomy does, is allow for the rest of your household to continue doing stuff. (So much better than having them standing in the bathroom, staring at the wall when they really, REALLY need to use the toilet.) I use autonomy to allow me to focus on one Sim at a time, to help further their aspiration, mostly. Also, I play with a full house, so it's quite necessary.

All of this to say don't feel bound to watching only, unless that's what you prefer.