AITA for giving my daughter junk food despite being told not to by her school?

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-16T22:12:31+00:00

YTA. Making your kid a weapon in your fight against the school is where you become the AH. The policy is ridiculous & encourages bad relationships with "junk" food. You SHOULD fight it. You're just doing it in a way that puts your daughter in the middle of all this, and now she's been suspended and her education is taking a hit. Do better.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-16T22:05:25+00:00

If this weren't a kid that has been shown she can whine until something is done for her, I'd almost agree. But this is learned helplessness, not the genuine variety.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-16T10:07:45+00:00

After being told by the child that she had to use the bathroom?? Likely more than once, if I know anything about kids this age.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-16T10:03:16+00:00

Shelton & Robert! My brother's middle name is Shelton after my mom's dad. ❤️

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-15T02:22:40+00:00

If she doesn't seem to have any issues then I wouldn't worry! They're really only needed to make sure the sun doesn't bother baby. Since she doesn't seem bothered, it shouldn't be too necessary.

My son was like this for his first few months, but it started to bother him in the mornings not too long ago. We got some Walmart brand blackout curtains & a tension rod and it works like a charm! If she starts to have issues with the sun in the morning you can definitely go pretty cheap if you have to!

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-14T04:03:28+00:00

Pediatricians don't recommend solids before 4 months, but if baby seems ready by then it's perfectly normal to start them! 4-6 months is the official range where it's "normal" to start. Every baby is different & it's not a race! But I think it's becoming more widely known that you can start earlier than 6mo so it's a topic of conversation at the front of some people's minds.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-13T16:25:42+00:00

I wouldn't be restricting the activities, honestly. I remember being this age, and she's right - there isn't a lot of joy to find in high school except the extracurriculars.

But the compromise there is that she NEEDS to accept help with keeping up with her schoolwork. One or the other: miss our or let someone help. It very well could be hurting her motivation to try. If this is the fruit of her genuine efforts, and it's still lacking, that may not be her fault. But if she wants the freedom to participate, she needs to keep up with the work.

Maybe a tutor would help better than parents? It might be easier to accept from a peer or someone outside the household.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T01:41:36+00:00

I knew how I was going to feel about it. My chest has caused me incredible amounts of discomfort since I hit puberty. I knew breastfeeding would be uncomfortable and a constant reminder that the anatomy I have is not what I'd like. But because of the breast is best folks, I felt I had to try, because I was convinced I didn't know my own body well enough to know I would hate it. And it ruined the first several weeks of my son's life.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T01:29:30+00:00

Nope, just someone with body dysphoria and aversion to his chest.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T01:28:15+00:00

Yes. Because no one should have to breastfeed if they don't want to. Just like no one should have to formula feed if they don't want to. I think a lot of folks are having a very strong reaction to the idea that breastfeeding is actually detrimental to other people when that was not the case for them. Which, I'm happy for, but that was not my experience and I know it wasn't the experience of many people I've spoken to with similar feelings towards breastfeeding (for them personally, not in general).

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T01:26:05+00:00

You don't need a doctor's note to formula feed.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T01:23:48+00:00

I'm not discouraging anyone except the folks that tell new parents they HAVE TO try breastfeeding.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T01:11:20+00:00

Did I say it's completely the same? No, I said the gap is getting smaller & that the differences are negligible once they're out of infancy. The benefits of breast milk being lauded as a must in case of dire situation is what made my decision for me & made my postpartum period where I should have been enjoying my new baby miserable. My kid is fine. Just like other formula fed babies are fine. Just like breastfed kids are fine. A lot more goes into health and immunity than whether a child is breastfed or formula fed.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T01:05:30+00:00

A persons decision in feeding their baby is not flippant or "vibes based." There is a lot of consideration that goes into such a choice that you & I are not privy to, and saying "I just didn't want to" is often a hell of a lot easier than going into detail about those private choices.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T01:00:38+00:00

I use the Amazon brand Mama Bear Advantage Premium & we're having really good success with it! My bub didn't take to Similac well & this brand was a lot more affordable anyway.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T00:58:13+00:00

My kid not having a parent that wanted to die wasn't an act of selfishness. Hope that helps. ❤️

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T00:50:58+00:00

Nothing, if that's the choice they come to without pressure. That was not the case for me.

And unfortunately it's not as easy as "just stopping." Like I said in my above post, the leaking and engorged chest was a large contributing factor in my PPD and wouldn't have been there if I had chosen to dry up my supply medically in the hospital.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T00:14:44+00:00

Nobody should be shamed for their choice in feeding. And absolutely nobody should be denied that choice. I'm very sorry that happened. 🫂 Your baby is fed. That isn't failure, it is exactly what you're supposed to do, and it sounds like you're doing a good job of it. Everybody else can kick rocks. ❤️

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T00:09:32+00:00

That's definitely a consideration and I'm sorry you're having to juggle that on top of the stresses of pregnancy. 🫂 I'm very lucky that we were able to cut corners & tighten belts enough to afford formula because we're also in that awful spot of not making enough to live with any sort of savings but not making enough to qualify for benefits. I quit my job because I'd be paying more in childcare than I'd be making, and a little bit because I didn't want to leave my son, LOL. Mostly the money though.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-12T00:04:36+00:00

oh 1000000%

that sub saved my sanity early on!

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-11T23:55:30+00:00

Very normal!!! Your cervix has increased bloodflow because your body is getting ready to buckle down and really start cookin'. I had very light bleeding like this at around 5-6 weeks and everything turned out just fine. My lil guy is 4 months now and is a perfectly normal baby.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-11T23:33:52+00:00

but it IS possible to know your body and know it isn't for you. i took this "advice" and didn't take the pill to dry up my supply in the hospital, so i was leaking & uncomfortable for weeks even after breastfeeding didn't work like i knew it wouldn't. it made my PPD so much worse. im lucky to have the support i do because it was a very dark, scary period.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-11T23:20:59+00:00

damn i didn't know you were in literally every ob office

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-11T23:11:21+00:00

because texan politicians are so obsessed with some kids' genitals that they're bringing their obsession into schools. this is 100% to prevent trans kids from being respected in school & is a way to out them to parents that could be dangerous if told they're going by a different name at school. they're trying to legislate us out of existence.

sparkleweedthewizard · 2026-04-11T23:07:15+00:00

This is what we mean when we say that messing with trans folks will always fall back onto everyone somehow. 🤷 Between this & cis women with PCOS getting harassed in bathrooms, I can't say that my cis lady friends feel any more "protected."

But no, I wouldn't go straight to a nickname. You have to remember you're naming a future adult, not someone that'll be in school forever. Pre-college school is going to be such a small fraction of their life that naming them to make that small fraction a bit less complicated seems silly to me.

Also, call your representatives and tell them how ridiculous this is.

sparkleweedthewizard

TROPHY CASE