I wish the game did more in regards to adopting a child

Adopting a kid in this game had a lot of potential, and I think it was squandered. All you can really do is tell them to go to bed, tell them to do chores, accept a gift from them, and let them have a pet. This does not properly take advantage of any real life parallels to raising a child.

It would've been really cool if your child, say, asked if you can track down something that belonged to their birth parents and return it to them, so they can keep a little reminder of them in their room or something. Alesan's father, for example, was a sailor. It would've been a really neat little quest if he asked you to track down his old captain's log or something.

Maybe your child gets a rare illness and you have to find a mage that can help you find the ingredients to make the cure.

There are a lot of other little things the game could've implemented into adoption as well. Maybe you can use one of the books you picked up during your travels to read your child a bedtime story, and depending on their likes and dislikes, they can make a comment like "that was really cool, I liked the part about the Dragon Priests", or "sorry pa, that was really boring. Maybe you can read me a war story next time, I love those".

Your kid can make comments on the city you live in as well, and maybe make suggestions to live in another hold. For example, if you live in Riften, your kid can say "I hate this place, I see people get robbed every night, and the orphanage reminds me of when I was an orphan". The Dragonborn can then have a few dialogue options: "I'm sorry (kid's name), but this is all that we can afford. We have to make do", "I know, I was planning on moving to a different hold soon", or even "It's not all bad. Maybe you just need an outlet. The Temple of Mara might be a comforting escape".

What we got in the game left a lot to be desired.