Chapter 0.5 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.7

Generation Zero: Beige - Starts with a HUMAN Sim

Appearance: Dark Blonde Hair, poor clothing style
Traits: Slob, Childish, Clumsy
Aspiration: Pick whatever you'd like. (Your goal this
generation is only to become a Mermaid and have your heir)
Occupation: Part Time Jobs ONLY
House Goal: None
Lot Trait: Off the Grid

Tevin and Vaea were so cute together. Teaching Tevin the things he needed to know was so much fun. You know, walking.. talking.. basic learning skills. I was already determined I would be a better parent than my neglectful, angry parents had been.. and I was sure I was off to a great start. It seemed it came naturally. Vaea had grown up in an extended household, and was as natural a parent as I felt... so the days passed smoothly.

Building blocks was the beginning of all things, apparently. At least that was what the toy store had said. So we bought the blocks enthusiastically, along with a dollhouse and the other things we would need to get through this toddler stage.

... And Tevin LOVED the dollhouse. Even when we were busy with other things, Tevin found the dolls irresistible. He treated them with such care, and I never had to worry about him chewing on things that shouldn't go in the mouth.

Tevin also took to water like a little fish. Although.. when it comes down to it, I guess we sort of are, aren't we? We bought him a toddler pool and he thought the fish on the bottom of it were his best friends as he splashed and played.

Giving him baths, however, was a struggle. We couldn't waste the water, so we waited until he simply couldn't get any dirtier, and only when he begged for a bath could I manage to complete the process.

(A/N: you can't queue up giving a toddler a bath, and they can't ask for one on an off the grid lot. However, if a toddler is left on his own, apparently he (or she) can ask autonomously for a bath and the parent will comply. Just a note for other people trying this challenge or any other off-the-grid challenge..)

Tevin wasn't a picky eater, either. Which was good since there were a limited number of meals we could make with our facilities.

He's trying so hard to learn. I feel sure that he'll be some sort of genius. Then again, I guess all parents think that way, right?

I enjoyed playing with him, and the dollhouse was definitely our favorite activity. My childish nature made playtime the best time of the day.

Tevin was so cooperative. Even bedtime was easy. He rarely had nightmares, and all it took was a tuck into bed while reading him a bit of a book, and he was out like a light. Which was good. Because I had big plans for the next day - since it was a Saturday and I didn't work until evening.. I had planned for a full day at the beach.

Tevin LOVED the ocean. And he looked so cute in his little yellow water "wings". The mermaid that Vaea had met last week was there, too, so I had a chance to get to know her. We chatted for quite a while, then she had to go. I didn't ask her to where, since she had mentioned she was unemployed, but she swam off in the direction of the caves, so I had my suspicions.

Tevin was apparently a master artist with sand already, and spent quite a while building a sand castle with absolutely no help from me (Since I was busy making our lunch).

After eating, we were back to playing in the sand. The beach was crowded, but Tevin was the only little one there, so everyone seemed to be watching him play with smiles and laughter.

And here's the masterpiece that Tevin built. A cowplant! The most dangerous plant in our world.. and he thought the monster would make a good sand castle. I had to admit, though, that it was pretty epic for a toddler having built it.

I took a break, while Tevin played in the sand and met a crab. Wisely, he let it wander away, and woke me to help him build another castle.

By this time, Vaea had come home from work and was here, too, but he was far more interested in playing in the waves than in getting his hands dirty in the sand. What a great day we had! The sun was starting to go down, so after building this last castle, we packed up our beach toys and towels and made the short walk home.

The next day dawned rainy, and made me glad I had used the day before as our beach day. Tevin and I vowed to stay inside and play (after I was home from work, of course), and we played with the blocks for hours. He was getting pretty good at making towers.. and he was starting to be able to name the colors and the letters on them, as well.

With his manual labor job, Vaea had to learn about gardening, so he took the small store of island fruits I had saved from the plants I had harvested while exploring the islands.. and started a small garden. He was a natural at playing in the dirt, and the light rain for the day made watering them unnecessary.

The big bear we had bought had been named Blarffy. (No idea why, that's just what Tevin calls it!) ... And Tevin's faculty for talking was improving day by day. He could talk in full sentences, now, and babbled with his bear quite happily while I worked on household chores.

Once again, I hated to waste the water, but Tevin needed to keep his hygiene up, so I relented and gave him another bath before bed.

Tevin never needed to know that I would play quietly with his toys while he was asleep, right?

Our clothes were starting to get pretty ratty, but I wasn't ready to splurge and buy new clothes just yet, so we continued to carefully scrub them in our wash basin and hang them outside.

Tevin sure loved his fruit salad. And it was so easy to make. It was the perfect food to have just sitting in the fridge for whenever Tevin got hungry and needed a healthy snack.

Vaea was still a huge help around the house, and continued to be my sounding board when I was frustrated with my dead end part time jobs. I couldn't be happier that I had found him.

Before I knew it, on a stormy, stormy day, Tevin had his first day of school. He dodged the mud puddles, and I hid my tears in the rain.. and off he went. I knew he was going to be great at school, and he was excited to make friends. The week had passed by with hardly any effort at all. Terrible twos, what? I don't know why other parents complained!

Chapter 0.5 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 0.7