Every other other child aspiration requirement actually does something to build the skill the aspiration is based around, but not this one! You just have to waste two hours reading with the kid and it does nothing. No skills built, no beneficial emotion moodlets. It fills fun and social a bit, and that's it. It drives me crazy.
I swear it used to be that time being read to as a toddler would count toward it, and at least that building some skill (even if it's the wrong one :-/) but it looks like that's changed.
I don't suppose anyone's made a modified modded version of this kid aspiration? Cause I actually like it otherwise! It's just this one thing! Could there maybe be a different requirement put in, something like "spend two hours viewing the sky with a telescope" or "do homework at the library" even would be more tolerable. Or, if anyone's found a way to have reading and reading with adults actually build skills for children? Maybe there could be two different kinds of kids books, some of which build creative and some which build mental? Something like that?
Obviously I can't just cheat the milestone, which I've been doing and lately and don't feel too bad about. I mean, I still have to get that mental skill to ten and get an A in school, so it's not like it's a breeze even if I skip that reading part. But I hate cheating stuff like that, so if there was a way to just change it so it made more sense, I would be thrilled!
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How do you get them to read to a child?
Have toddler and parent sit together in chairs or a sofa. Put two books in the adult's inventory before you start. Select the book from the inventory and you should have the option to 'read to toddler'. Read both books to the toddler. Do this again later. (The toddler will probably get 'tired of books' if you try to read her four books at once.) That will get you your two hours easily.
Yes, as I mentioned in my original post, I've done that before, but that no longer appears to work for some reason. The toddler reading no longer carries over to the child life stage. Also, it still bugs me that it builds the "wrong" skill--to fit the Whiz Kid aspiration it should build thinking in toddlers, not imagination.
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I mean, sure, it's cute, and I don't mind them reading together, but like I said I just wish it did something. There should be kids books adults can read to their children that actually builds the mental skill, or makes them focused at least, and isn't just a complete waste of time. No other child aspirations have requirements tat do nothing to progress the overall goal, and it seems particularly strange that it would be the case for the studious, focused child of all things.
Plus, books are entirely associated with creativity in the sims--reading books builds imagination in toddlers, not thinking, and writing books is a creative task that benefits from feeling creative and not focused. I could almost forgive the flavor of it if it was a task for the creative aspiration, since that would at least make sense thematically, but based on the world of the game as it is now (unlike our world) having a mentally focused child be read to by a parent doesn't really make any sense. Which is why, as I said originally, I wouldn't mind if books were tweaked in the game OR a different milsetone. I would honestly prefer the former, since as a book lover irl, I find books in the sims rather anemic and limiting.
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It worked for me just this weekend. Someone mentioned that there are problems if it's the second kid aspiration you try to do - in my case, the kid's first aspiration was the 'genius' aspiration. I know it worked with her mother a couple of weeks ago - her first aspiration was the creative one, but when I switched to the genius aspiration, the 'read with an adult' goal was already done.
I get what you're saying with the reading being in the wrong aspiration, however. Since I want to max out all my kid and toddler skills, it doesn't matter as much to me. I get more annoyed with goals that require a specific mood, and the 'play with three toys' that is so buggy. ('Slide the Plank' on the pirate ship, mold clay and 'push to talk' on the robot work consistently to get the three toys, by the way.)
I don't recall this ever working for me. I guess the second aspiration issue is the culprit, because I do bounce back and forth.
I'm all about taking care of whatever I can in one shot, so I make sure I'm fulfilling the parent's aspiration as I'm taking care of the kids' aspirations/whims. I also max out the toddler and children skills/aspirations. (I collect of many whim points as I can to give the kids the incredibly friendly trait as soon as possible after they age to fulfill the social aspiration quickly.)
You could install MCCC and simply skip that requirement … then you'd have the benefit of all the other requirements you do enjoy.
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
Turn off autonomy for the moment. (I nearly always play with autonomy off, and one of the great annoyances of having it turned on is that they stop reading when their 'fun' bar is full.)
If you play with mods, this one is your best friend!
UI Cheats Mod
HillyPlays
P.A.C.E- Positive Attitude Changes Everything
Yes, of course, and I DO often cheat it these days. But I honestly hate cheating stuff like that, and so avoid it if I can help it. Narratively, it just makes it not as fun for me lol.
Like, I WANT there to BE a requirement, I'm not actually wishing it was EASIER, I just want it to make sense lol.
http://fanphoria.blogspot.com/
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