Dinky

This week on the Regretful Parents series, Erika and Kristen react to a Reddit post from a 34-year-old German father who says he never wanted kids, claims his Japanese wife lied about being on birth control, and now regrets both his marriage and his baby — while living in a completely different country from them.The post is equal parts heartbreaking and baffling.

In this episode:
A German man describes his marriage to a Japanese woman and the culture clash that followed
Why "you have to read the air" is the most iconic line of the episode
The baby was born in Japan — while he was in Germany
What you need to know about international custody laws when one parent is Japanese
Why living together before marriage matters (especially across cultures)
Our hottest take: get a vasectomy, babe
Whether you're here for the relationship drama, the cultural commentary, or just two women yelling "you're not even in the same country!" — this one's for you.

Take a trip with us!

South of France in June: https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/france/france-with-erika-abdelatif-jun-2026 

Christmas Markets trip in December: https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/germany-and-austria/germany-with-erika-abdelatif-dec-09-2026?earlybird=true 

Support the pod and get even more content: patreon.com/dinkypod 

Tags / Keywords:regretful parents, baby regret reddit, parenting regret, reddit relationship advice, german japanese couple, international custody laws, baby trapped reddit, marriage regret, childfree reddit, reddit react podcast, parenting podcast, divorce advice, cross-cultural marriage, Japan custody laws, reddit stories reacted

Chapters:

0:00 Intro
0:27 Reading the post — "I just need a channel to let out despair"
1:21 The birth control lie
2:09 "I regret many things" (very German)
2:52 "You have to read the air" — Germany vs. Japan culture clash
5:29 Wait… she gave birth in JAPAN?
6:45 International marriage: are they even legally married?10:15 Reddit comments react
11:36 Japan's strict custody laws explained
13:21 Our verdict: snip snip, bitch
14:19 Outro + how to find us

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dinky--5953015/support.

Want more exclusive content from Dinky? Join the Patreon! 

This week, Erika takes Kristen down a rabbit hole she wishes she could un-visit — the disturbing story of Mike and Heather Martin, the couple behind the infamous DaddyOFive YouTube channel. What started as a "family prank" account quickly became one of the most notorious examples of child exploitation on the internet.

We cover:
How the DaddyO5 channel grew to 750,000 subscribers and an estimated $200K–$350K annually — and what was really happening behind the camera
The "invisible ink" prank video that broke the internet 
The role of biological mom Rose Hall and the custody battle that followed
What actually happened in court (spoiler: not enough)
Where the family is now 

SOURCES: BBC, NYMag, Wikipedia, People 

TRIPS:
TIME IS RUNNING OUT: Lavender Dreams & Riviera Nights With Erika
Christmas Markets 2026!!! 

GET MORE FROM DINKY:Treat yourself to new merch! 

Wanna get your finances in order? Use our link to sign up for a FREE 34 day trial of YNAB (You Need A Budget) and support the show.

Wanna connect with us on social media? You can find us on Substack, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads at @dinkypod. Follow us on YouTube.

If you have a question or comment, email us at [email protected]

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dinky--5953015/support.

Erika is joined by friend of the pod and special guest Ashton to react to a Reddit post from a woman who is absolutely DONE being pregnant — stretch marks in places she didn't know could stretch, a partner telling her "your body will be better than ever," and a mom who just keeps saying "focus on the baby." YIKES. 

We get into why pregnancy horror stories are kept so quiet, the evolutionary reason human childbirth is uniquely dangerous, why women's pain gets minimized the second there's a baby involved, and the man on Instagram who came home for 1-2 hours a day and considered himself a parenting expert.

Also: Ashton makes a great case for Dinky trips. Speaking of which, seats are still available for these two Dinky trips:

South of France in June: https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/france/france-with-erika-abdelatif-jun-2026 
Christmas Markets trip in December: https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/germany-and-austria/germany-with-erika-abdelatif-dec-09-2026?earlybird=true 

Support the pod and get even more content: patreon.com/dinkypod 

In this episode:
Reacting to "I WANT THIS PERSON OUT" — a viral r/regretfulparents post
What actually happens to your body during pregnancy that no one tells you
The evolutionary reason human childbirth is so much harder than other mammals
Why lying on your back during labor might not actually be best for women
800 women die in childbirth every day — and some men still minimize it
Morning sickness so bad her doctor waited SIX MONTHS to mention there was medication
Vagina pain, butthole cramps, and getting screamed at from a car while 8 months pregnant
The man who spent 1-2 hours/day with his baby and got on the internet to explain uteruses to women
Why Ashton thinks Dinky trips might be one of the best decisions of her life
Chapters: 0:00 – Welcome & introducing guest Ashton 0:42 – Ashton's honest Dinky trip review (unprompted, unsponsored) 3:34 – The post: "I WANT THIS PERSON OUT" 4:33 – Can you actually be pregnant for 365 days? 6:19 – Stretch marks in places she never expected 7:08 – The mental whiplash of your body changing that fast 9:01 – "You might not even get a healthy baby. You just get a baby." 10:15 – Her partner & mom completely dismiss her feelings 12:34 – Why society keeps pregnancy realities hidden 14:31 – Ashton on being childfree since childhood 18:41 – Why human childbirth is uniquely dangerous (evolution explainer) 20:23 – Were women never supposed to give birth on their backs? 21:54 – Comment section: 800 deaths a day & the Instagram man 24:39 – Vomiting for 6 months before anyone offered medication 25:14 – Not every woman is built for this — and that should be okay 26:42 – Final thoughts & trip links

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dinky--5953015/support.

Want more exclusive content from Dinky? Join the Patreon! 

Dinky listeners have been flooding our inboxes lately pressuring us to watch Season 10 of Love Is Blind — because it featured not one, but TWO storylines about women choosing non-traditional paths when it comes to kids. One of those women was Emma Betsinger, who is our guest today!  Emma is a 28-year old who was adopted from China at age three, and raised in a white family in Ohio. Emma endured 10 surgeries before the age of 7 to remove high-risk birthmarks and expressed concerns about having biological kids as a result. She got engaged to Mike Gibney on the show, but their relationship ended at the altar. Today, we’ll be talking to Emma about her experience sharing her story on the show and where she stands on kids now.

TRIPS:
Christmas Markets 2026!!!
Lavender Dreams & Riviera Nights With Erika

GET MORE FROM DINKY:
Treat yourself to new merch!

Wanna get your finances in order? Use our link to sign up for a FREE 34 day trial of YNAB (You Need A Budget) and support the show.

Wanna connect with us on social media? You can find us on Substack, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads at @dinkypod. Follow us on YouTube.

If you have a question or comment, email us at [email protected]

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dinky--5953015/support.

Erika and Kristen react to one of the most harrowing posts from the r/regretfulparents subreddit — a woman's decade-long battle with serious birth injury damage after a midwife failed to suture a second-degree tear, leaving her with permanent physical damage, no sensation during sex, and a medical system that keeps turning her away.

This one is NOT for the faint of heart. (You've been warned. 💀)

We get into it all: the midwife vs. hospital birth debate, how the medical system routinely dismisses women's pain, why this would be treated as an emergency if it happened to a man, and the absolutely devastating moment where this woman has to choose between fixing her body and buying her kid braces.

☕ Support the pod: patreon.com/DinkyPod (Help Kristen pay her 450-euro electricity bill in her Georgian-era icebox apartment. She deserves it.)

In this episode:
Reacting to a viral r/regretfulparents post about long-term birth injury
The midwife vs. hospital birth debate — what does the data actually say?
Prolapse, perineal tears, and why the medical system calls it "cosmetic"
Why women's pain and sexual dysfunction are chronically under-treated
"Braces or my vagina" — the impossible choices mothers are forced to make
Childfree commentary on why childbirth risks are still under-discussed
Chapters:

0:00 – Welcome & intro to the post 0:42 – The midwife who didn't suture the tear 1:34 – Midwife vs. hospital births: Erika's hot take 3:24 – The tear that went unrepaired for years 5:08 – "It was gaping open" 6:38 – The surgeon who refused to fix it 8:25 – A decade of rejections from the medical system 10:32 – Braces vs. surgery: the impossible choice 12:26 – Top comments + our final thoughts 15:12 – Wrap up & how to support Dinky

Don't get pregnant. 💅

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dinky--5953015/support.