All the Fable games are happy additions to my Gaming Library but if there's one problem I always had with it, were the fickle lovers. Being single and not in a harsh medieval world, I wouldn't actually know how those dynamics would work when one is married to an adventurer. But being away for 20 minutes would actually translate to weeks or more in Fable, which could cause your spouse to outright leave.
The children worked in a similar way, their happiness degraded quickly and while playing with them WAS fun and adorable, I still had stuff to do elsewhere eventually.

Sorry for the anecdote. Basically, I'm asking if there's any kind of relationship degradation on Hearthfire.
I know that the adopted kids periodically ask for stuff like pets and toys, but do any problems arise when I'm gone for many a month in the game (Slaying dragons, completing faction questlines, whatever).
Because if there is, that would be the major turn-off for the function and I may not bother with it.