Pausing the game works fine for me too, if you're really wanting to keep your families but not tend them for a longish period of time. Wouldn't do any harm though just to check occasionally during your break gthat everything is still paused. Failing that, if you really want a complete break for a while, why not just click 'delete' next to your families player name? You can then always start afresh comletely when you feel you're ready to begin again.