35-year-old mom under fire by neighborhood parents for feeding teen girls pizza and donuts at sleepover despite never specifying preferences: “Fun food is just another word for junk food”

Author image for Ely Bulnes
Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Apr 3, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

Some of my favorite memories from teenage years come from the many sleepovers I had with my besties. The best part about sleepovers was the food – usually junk food. My Latin American parents rarely let me eat pizza, donuts, or cookies, but when I had friends over, that is exactly what they fed us. At the time, I thought they were maybe trying to impress my American friends, but I realize now that it's just because these sorts of foods require very little effort to serve and pick up after. 

In our story today, a mid-30s mom has the same mindset when she hosts a sleepover for an entire girls softball team. However, when other almond moms catch wind of the type of food she provided for the teen girls that she hosted, she comes under fire. No one ever told her she needed to prepare them a homecooked meal with all the food groups represented, and she was just doing her best. However, now her daughter's social life is at stake as many moms decide to pull their girls from future sleepovers. 

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  • 01

    AITA for feeding my daughters soft ball team "junk" at our sleepover

    "She called me a lousy mother"
    via Monkey Business Images

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  • 02
    135f have 3 children all enrolled in extra curricular's. My oldest daughter who's 13, plays in softball and has for years. I live in a smaller town, so I know the
    via u/Last_Gene9706
  • 03
    other girls parents and we are well aquatinted I even consider a few of them friends. We take turns having big huge sleepovers for the girls at our homes and this weekend it was my daughters weekend.
    via u/Last_Gene9706
  • 04
    We had never discussed what we should and should not feed the girls, just allergies and such so I didn't think there were "rules." My other child is also in sports and I have never had complains about this
    via u/Last_Gene9706
  • 05
    either and I've hosted these sleepovers before, just not this season yet and there are a few mothers newer parents to the team. Anyways, I had bought the girls pizza and breadsticks, and had pink or regular lemonade offered for dinner. I also had a lot of snacks, mostly chips, but I did bake some
    via u/Last_Gene9706
  • 06
    brownies as well. The next morning I had just got a lot of Dunkin' Donuts. It's 15 girls I'm feeding so I figured it was easiest because these type of things feed alot of children. My children don't normally eat like this either, I just was excited for the first sleepover at our house this season.
    via u/Last_Gene9706
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10489129216
    via Creativa Images

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  • 08
    Anyways, I've gotten some complains from the newer moms to have joined the group in our groupchat, and have said that I shouldn't be loading. their children up on sugar and junk food and how their kids don't eat like that at home. I replied back
    via u/Last_Gene9706

  • These are really just the staples of sleepover food. If the parents really cared, they would've said something beforehand or sent their girls over with food that they deem healthy. 

  • 09
    that it was a sleepover it was suppose to be a fun event for the girls so what was the big deal? That offended them; they accused me of undermining their parenting and said there daughters wouldn't be coming to my daughters sleepovers anymore
    via u/Last_Gene9706
  • 10
    unless I decided to feed them better food. This caused an argument because like I said no one has ever mentioned what they feed the children at these sleepovers, and there was never any "rules." | thought it was fair game. I then again said it was just fun food, it was a slumber party, and a few of the other parents agreed with me.
    via u/
  • 11
    A few hours later that mother replied in the gc that her daughter would no longer be coming to any events at my home since I couldn't see that fun food was just a different word for junk. Then called me a lousy mother for feeding children up with that sh then left the groupchat.
    via u/Last_Gene9706
  • 12
    Bella_de_chaos Has she hosted yet? What do the other Mom's that have been around the block serve when it's their turn?
    via u/Bella_de_chaos
  • 13
    Last Gene9706 OP I've heard pizza before as well, and I know one of the dads grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. I'm not sure about the rest. No she hasn't hosted yet
    via u/Last_Gene9706
  • 14
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  • 15
    sheramom4 When she does host don't send your daughter. And I doubt some other girls will attend either. She will spend that time telling your daughter things that could lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.
    via u/sheramom4
  • 16
    Ok-Memory9085 I promise u it's the same sh pizza and fast breakfast food which is normal if these girls are fed or ever go out to eat before their tournament they're also eating the same sh wonder if the new moms will exclude them from that too
    via u/Ok-Memory9085
  • 17
    odyssea88 I'm gonna go with NTA here. These moms never communicated any dietary restrictions to you and as a parent that's their responsibility if they're letting someone else look after their child for a night. And honestly you're correct, sleepovers ARE supposed to be fun. These are supposed to be bonding
    via u/odyssea88
  • 18
    activities for the team and stuff like this is supposed to be a treat. Also you're feeding fifteen children, I don't blame you for taking the easy option of pizza and chips. Maybe you shouldn't have argued with them and simply said you'd provide different options in the future for the girls but what's done is done now.
    via u/odyssea88
  • 19
    Ok-Horror-1049 - THIS except... if someone wants their kid to eat a certain way, they should be packing the food and dropping it off with their kid. I would feel bad for that kid, but I would make sure to follow the mom's request.
    via u/Ok-Horror-1049
  • 20
    Confident-Baker5286 We eat pretty healthy (organic, I cook almost all from scratch) and I would absolutely get pizzas for a sleepover. I would probably serve a salad as well and skip the DD but I wouldn't be angry at another parent if they did. Completely over the top reaction from the moms
    via u/Confident-Baker5286
  • 21
    SnipesCC There probably isn't a better cheap, almost universally liked, easy to clean up after, easy to get food than pizza. There's a reason it's the go-to food when you are serving a crowd on a budget.
    via u/SnipesCC
  • 22
    89Mustang Sally89 NTA. This seems like typical food for a softball party, especially when it's one household feeding the entire team. If I sent my kid to a sleepover like this, this is exactly how I'd expect them to eat. It's one night, it's not going to do harm. Take this from a
    via u/89MustangSally89
  • 23
    parent who obsesses over my kids getting enough fruit and veggies! Sometimes, eating "healthy" just isn't realistic given the situation. Kuddos to you for being a nice mom by letting all these teenagers into your home and getting them all food.
    via u/89MustangSally89
  • 24
    Aggressive-Ferret216 Right like is she supposed to spend hours in the kitchen cooking for that many kids? Pizza is classic for a softball party. Maybe she could've had a veggie tray but let's be real the kids won't be reaching for that. Let them have some unhealthy food sometimes, to me that's a healthy mindset about food. It's good to have balance!
    via u/Aggressive-Ferret216
  • 25
    Jennifermoore67 Tyrannical food monitoring is a great way to create eating disorders
    via u/Jennifermoore67
  • 26
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  • 27
    hohoholdyourhorses I also wonder if this would be an issue if they were boys. Growing up I remember boys were encouraged to inhale everything in sight because they're "growing boys" meanwhile there's 3rd
    via u/hohoholdyourhorses
  • 28
    graders talking ab liposuction and dieting. Also they're in softball, they're athletes! A few slices of pizza, pink lemonade and a donut or 2 isn't going to kill them or cause obesity. I wonder how many of those moms have their own unchecked disordered eating.
    via u/hohoholdyourhorses
  • 29
    Party Porpoise Yeah, it's going to be pretty difficult to cook enough healthy food to feed a softball team. And ordering healthier alternatives from a restaurant would get expensive.
    via u/PartyPorpoise
  • 30
    Majestic Shoe5175 NTA. Sleepovers are meant for junk food. It's a treat and not something that happens every night. I do think that after a night of junk food a good balanced breakfast is needed. Scrambled eggs are
    via u/Majestic_Shoe5175
  • 31
    super easy to whip up for a crowd, a pre cut fruit tray, yogurt along with the donuts. But that's just me and what I would serve. I wouldn't care if my daughter went to a sleepover and only ate junk once in a while.
    via u/Majestic_Shoe5175
  • 32
    Last Gene9706 OP I've done things like fruit trays in the past, Charcuterie boards, eggs, this was just for the first big sleepover. I won't lie I do enjoy doing a good make your own sundae night with the kids but I don't always feed these things at sleepovers.
    via u/Last_Gene9706

  • They could have just politely asked that our protagonist have healthier options next time, but they went full Karen instead. 

  • 33
    jasmxne_mxchelle NTA If the parents who are complaining about it actually cared as much as they are portraying, they would've said before the sleepover what their kid should/shouldn't have. If it really did bother her and she genuinely wanted to get across to you to stop feeding their child that stuff she could have had a private conversation requesting politely to stop.
    via u/jasmxne_mxchelle
  • 34
    Then if you disagreed or there was no compromise she could decide to let her child stay or go. The way about this especially the ending of her calling you a lousy mother shows her immaturity and her inability's to have a civil conversation. However the entire conversation that took place could have definitely been handled better from both sides.
    via u/jasmxne_mxchelle
  • 35
    Healthy_Brain5354 She's mad because her kid came back home excited that she had pizza and donuts, when her mom probably polices her eating habits at home
    via u/Healthy_Brain5354
  • 36
    PhysicalGift6442 NTA. These dumb parents are complaining because you fed their kids (with YOUR money) sugary foods for a single sleepover? They clearly lack a good understanding of how nutrition works because two meals of pizza and donuts isn't going to kill anyone who doesn't have severe medical issues.
    via u/PhysicalGift6442
  • 37
    12th_MaMa I don't think you're an a_h_le for feeding girls junk food at a sleepover. Who doesn't expect pizza ?? A fruit or veggie tray is fun for sleepovers too. If they want to feed the girls kale salads they can. On their turn. We'll see who's going to be the favorite.
    via u/12th_MaMa

Tags

donuts entitled parents sports healthy food pizza married with children teenagers parenting raising teens sleepover health daughter junk food entitled people
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