Parenthood - Should I get it?

I am a Parenthood owner.
I’m not a parent IRL and have 0 insight concerning that part, plus I rarely play as a parent in TS4. I never completed any of the aspirations.

However…I personally find that having access to the character value reward traits does add a lot to my storytelling. These hidden traits come with new social interactions, both positive and negative. I would typically skip the “rearing kids” part and give my young adults parenthood traits via…I’m going to say it - cheats. My main sims are never at their best behavior, which is reflected in their negative traits, such as being argumentative, irresponsible or having bad manners. They belch and fart at the most inappropriate times and give rude introductions. Sims around them like them less, which can be challenging when you’re trying to get stuff done. They can crush other sims’ dreams. Ofcourse that’s not everyone’s thing, but I’m the kind of guy who WANTS sims to be a little more edgy, and parenthood really helps with that. It’s by no means perfect, but it helps.

Other PROs:

• Setting the table. A small thing, but I like that we can do that.
  
• Option to Discipline kids (comes in 3 different flavors) and give kids/ teens time outs ( at a higher parenting skill level).
  
• The multicolored fairy lights ….I find that I use them a lot in my post apocalyptic builds/ shacks / treehouses.
  
• After school projects. WHEN I play kids/ teens, that’s the most fun part. They can work on these projects alone or with friends/ parents. They get to build volcanos, castles, robots, rockets and possibly more. High quality builds have sweet little animations.
  
• Private Journal. This little notebook offer stress relief ( to sims of all ages) , boosts writing skill and can be hidden. Perfect for historical play.
  
• Not sure if this is basegame, parenthood or another pack but kids/ teens can shove each other, which is a nice touch. Mischief galore.
  
  

I feel indifferent towards phases & mood swings; I still haven’t figured out whether I like them or not.

CONS:

• Kids making a mess. It doesn’t bother me too much, but it can get a little tiresome. I suppose the entire point of this feature is to encourage the kiddos not to be such messers.
  
• Chance card pop ups. Yeah I agree with others on here, they can get a bit annoying, especially since the constant phone calls already exist.
  
• Curfew. Good concept, not well executed, unless I’m playing it wrong… In TS3 the police ( police!!) would bring the kid home after curfew, and there would be trouble. In TS4…no one seems to care. When the curfew clock strikes …all the mischievous kids can stay out all night because mom and dad are happily snoring in their bed, completely oblivious to the fact that their kids didn’t make it home on time. BUT WILL BILLY EVER COME HOME?! Trust me, no one cares.
  

The lack of consequences in this game is one of its biggest issues- it makes everything feel rather bland.
That said, Parenthood still adds that little extra flavor to my stories and I wouldn’t want to give it up!


EDIT: ( my goodness..,the grammar police was chasing me- but I’m afraid I won’t get it right tonight. ?)