Dinky

We’re talking about children who see dead people, kids who believe they’re reincarnated, and the stressed out parents who birthed them. Kristen and Erika also introduce a brand new segment: The Celebrity Playground! Tune in to hear it all — but warning: you might wanna leave the lights on and your IUD in. If you want to learn more about the psychology of why kids see ghosts, read this article from WaPo.  If you want to hear more horrifying stories from parents, there are several articles where parents share creepy things their kids said. There's also a Reddit thread on the topic.  Click here to buy ‘Return To Life: Extraordinary Cases Of Children Who Remember Past Lives’.  To learn more about time slips, we recommend this article on Medium. To learn more about how babies’ brains look similar to a person on LSD, check out this article.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

Welcome back to Season 2 of Dinky! In this season premiere, Kristen and Erika catch up on what happened during the break — from weddings, to health scares, and beyond. We introduce some new changes and cover what’ll be new in this season, including more celeb content, and a deeper dive on antinatalism and being childfree. Plus, we’re joined by Matt Simpson, the creator of the Parenting Simulator from Season 1. Listen in to hear him reveal the real reason he created the game, his takes on how to know if parenting is right for you, and more. ‘My Five Wives’ is available to stream on Discovery+ To follow Matt Simpson, find him on Twitter To play the Parenting Simulator yourself, download the app HERE. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

In this season's finale, we’ve been saving the best for last!!! Kristen & Erika love reality television, celebrity news, and gossip — so we finally combined our favorite topics of all time to discuss the intersection of the childfree lifestyle and celebrities. This episode is all about childfree icons and the pressures of having children as seen in pop culture. To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster. To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here.  Here’s a comprehensive list of every article we referenced during our conversation: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/celebrities/news/g21965029/11-celebrities-on-not-having-children/https://www.reddit.com/r/childfree/comments/w36tp5/who_are_your_favorite_childfree_celebrities/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmfhttps://www.wellesley.edu/news/2014/04/node/41168https://screenrant.com/best-tv-shows-about-married-couples-without-children/amp/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

This bonus is special conversation that was cut from our episode on the declining birth rate on the factors behind Japan's shrinking population, and the genius way Japanese women have handled the inequality in parenting relationships.  To learn more about Japan's shrinking population, read this article from the New York Times.  To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

Whether you’ve seen it mentioned by Elon Musk on Twitter or in a panic article by the New York Times, you’ve probably heard buzz lately about concerns about the declining birth rate. In this episode, we discuss the global trend, how different countries are tackling the issue, how it will affect millennials in particular, and chat through how worried we really should be. Try out our TikTok filter & find out what sit down dinner you are: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRfS22r1/ To learn more about the declining birth rates worldwide, visit: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/total-fertility-rate To learn about the impacts COVID had on birth rates, read this article by NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/us/us-birthrate-falls-covid.html To learn more on why folks are freaking out over it, read this article by WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/06/30/the-u-s-fertility-rate-just-hit-a-historic-low-why-some-demographers-are-freaking-out/ Check out this article on how Social Security will be impacted: https://feeds.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/questions-answers/how-much-longer-will-social-security-be-around.html?_amp=true To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, there’s a good chance you’ve lost friends as people you knew started to have kids. In today’s episode, Kristen and Erika chat about how to cope when you’re the last childfree person in your friend group, and the best and worst advice the internet has to offer on maintaining friendships with friends after they become parents. Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. Read “Hi, From Your Childless Friend” by A Cup Of Jo. More stats on being childfree: https://time.com/241/having-it-all-without-having-children/ On parents staying friends with childfree folks: https://archive.nytimes.com/parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/can-parents-stay-friends-with-the-child-free/ To buy yourself fresh flowers, visit bouqs.com To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

What defines a family? To some, family is about blood relations. For others, family is something you develop with people you love and trust. If you’ve ruled out having biological children, what other options are there to form alternative family arrangements? In this episode, we discuss adoption, foster care, and other “unconventional” family structures. Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. To learn more about adoption and the trauma adopted children experience, buy a copy of ‘Primal Wound’: https://bookshop.org/a/56255/9780963648006 If you’d like to learn more about celebs who were adopted, visit Popsugar.com: https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Celebrities-Who-Were-Adopted-37979874/amp To read on about celebs who were estranged from their parents, visit Ranker.com: https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-are-estranged-from-their-parents/celebrity-lists Our research on family structures came from ifstudies.org: https://ifstudies.org/blog/more-than-60-of-u-s-kids-live-with-two-biological-parents/ On adoption: https://adoptionnetwork.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-adopt-a-child/ https://adoptionart.org/adoption/private-adoption-vs-agency-adoption/ https://time.com/6051811/private-adoption-america/ https://adoptionswithlove.org/adoptive-parents/how-long-does-it-take-to-adopt https://www.holtinternational.org/top-10-myths-about-adopting-from-china/ https://childrenofallnations.com/adoption-programs/asia/china-adoption/#requirements On fostering: https://www.childrensrights.org/newsroom/fact-sheets/foster-care/ On childfree alternatives: https://thesocietypages.org/ccf/2014/08/11/childfree-is-family-friendly/ To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

Imagine a red button that, when pressed, would instantly end human life and suffering. Would you press it? Kristen and Erika debate this concept in a special bonus episode from the cutting room floor of our Antinatalism episode. Enjoy!  Wanna connect with us on social media? You can find us on Instagram and TikTok at @dinkypod. If you have a question or comment, email us at [email protected]. If you’re a fan of the show, please remember to subscribe — bonus points for the extra special fans who leave us a glowing review. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

Grab some oat milk, because this episode is spicy! This week, Kristen and Erika ask a tough question: is procreation morally wrong? In other words, they discuss the philosophical topic of antinatalism: a controversial perspective that argues that “humans should abstain from procreation because it is morally wrong.” We chat through the theory’s major concepts, as well as everyone’s favorite topics: veganism, depression, and human suffering! (Look, it might sound like you’ll need to double up on a dose of Zoloft before tuning into the episode — but trust us, we keep it fun.) The data about unintended pregnancies can be found at: https://www.unfpa.org/press/nearly-half-all-pregnancies-are-unintended-global-crisis-says-new-unfpa-report To learn more about Antinatalism, visit Stop Having Kids: https://www.stophavingkids.org/ To read more from David Benetar (truly no relation to Pat Benetar), check out his argument in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/the-case-for-not-being-born Watch Mr. Smith’s monologue from The Matrix (since we know you ran here for this, specifically) visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrBdYmStZJ4 To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster: https://www.redlobster.com/ To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support

Fencesitters, unite!! If you’re questioning whether having kids is right for you, this episode has got you covered. We’re covering the top tools — from workbooks to influencers and beyond — to explore in order to make a decision and get off the fence. To read the article by parenting clarity therapist Ann Davidson (not Pete Davidson’s mom…), visit Vox.com. For more on the declining millennial birth rate. Snag a copy of ‘The Baby Decision’  Snag a copy of ‘Motherhood: Is It For Me?’ To follow Cleo Abrams on TikTok, visit: https://www.tiktok.com/@cleoabram To enjoy a nice sit down dinner, visit your local Red Lobster. To play along with the Parenting Simulator, download the app here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dinky-podcast/support