Sims2: Babysitters

Quincy Quarles calls everyone he can think of, trying to find someone to stay with his young daughter Lucretia while he goes to work on the night shift.  Since his brother Hubbard moved out, every night is a new struggle to find childcare.  He has missed a couple of shifts already and he's worried about being fired.  They had managed to save 633 Simoleons, but Lucretia desperately wanted a telescope.  Quincy bought one for her, but now they only have 103 Simoleons, which is barely enough for groceries if they run out of food in the fridge.

If he could just get to work one shift, he's sure he could convince his boss to let him move from the night shift pumping gas to the day shift at the convenience store.  But things are not looking good for poor Quincy.

Teens are considered old enough to stay home alone and even take care of younger children by themselves, but babies, toddlers, and children obviously aren't able to stay home alone.  The game enforces it - if the carpool comes or you try to direct a Sim to 'walk to work', a message comes up saying "I know I have other responsibilities, but I just can't bring myself to leave the little ones alone."  If a child comes home from school and there is no teen or adult on the lot, after a warning or two the social worker will come and take them away.

As in real life, this problem is easily solved with the application of a few Simoleons.  A Sim can call a nanny to either come 'just for now' or to show up every time they go to work. The challenge I'm playing doesn't allow nannies until the ability is unlocked, which is a reason I like this challenge.  It removes the choice for the way I usually do things, and gets me to try new things.  It seems that a Sim won't get fired after one missed shift, but usually is after two or three.  Sometimes that gives enough days that the child ages up to a teen, but Lucretia still has five days. 

I tried inviting over a love interest and proposing they stay the night, but that didn't work.  I've read that there is an option, added in the "Apartment Life" extension, to ask a friend to stay and babysit.  I have yet to find that and successfully use it. It might only work for Sims living in an apartment.

It's too bad that I didn't manage to get Quincy to the next level in his job, because his lifetime want is to reach the top of the "Slacker" career.  He's a gas station attendant currently, but after a promotion his job would convenience store clerk, which conveniently (ha!) has hours of 9am to 3pm, so he would only be gone while Lucretia is at school.