Matty Johnson and Laura Byrne‘s family life might seem picture-perfect, but they are no strangers to parenting struggles.
The Bachelor lovebirds share three daughters, Marlie-Mae, six, Lola, six, and six-month-old Poppy, and juggling childcare with work isn’t always a picnic.
Speaking exclusively with New Idea, Matty candidly admits he feels “completely overwhelmed” as a parent “90% of the time” and doesn’t always strike a successful balance.
“I think you’re on a ship that is just constantly being tossed in a rough sea and you’re trying to find calm waters,” he tells us while promoting OMO‘s Ultimate 3-in-1 Capsules.
“Every now and then you have little periods where everything is perfect and you feel like you’re on top of it all.
“And then you have moments like last night, where the kids just didn’t want to go to sleep, and I was juggling them all by myself.”
“I put down a six-month-old whilst the other two were screaming, whilst I was trying to edit a podcast and also apply to DMs on my Instagram.
“I would say 90% of the time, I feel completely overwhelmed and that I’m struggling, if I’m being completely honest.”
“So I think you’re trying as best you can to just hold on and keep going, and still try to be a good parent, a good partner, a good friend, and be successful at work.”
“I don’t really think there’s ever been a time when I feel like I’ve kicked all those boxes at one time.”
And nothing sums up the chaos of parenting more than his recent outing with baby Poppy, whose bathroom schedule caused him quite an embarrassing moment.
In a fresh burst of parenting honesty, Matty admits it certainly wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine when his baby daughter accidentally pooed on him in public!
“[Poppy has] just started solids. So gone are the days of having quite nice, sweet-smelling poo; it’s now changed to being something pretty horrific,” he shares.
“I was wearing a grey jumper, and I was out holding her on my hip. And I didn’t realise it until someone pointed out that I had s*** all down my shirt.”
“It was like going out the side of the onesie. It was a proper Poonami, which wasn’t ideal.”
“It’s fine being s*** on at home, but when you’re out in public, it’s not ideal,” he quips.
Despite its challenges, Matty wouldn’t change his family for the world and gushed that his beloved daughters “melt [his] heart”, sharing his pride at raising “happy, healthy and safe” kids.
Matty prides himself on taking on many domestic jobs around the house and has partnered with OMO to encourage more Aussie fathers to do the same, after research showed that women are still most likely to be the laundry experts at home.
“I think it’s a blind spot that a lot of men of our generation don’t have. If they’re like me, they grew up in a household where the domestic chores were pretty segregated between mum and dad,” he shares.
“And the reality of it now is that type of world is completely archaic.”
Matty said he used to think feminism “was a bit of a dirty word for a guy,” but has changed his perspective as he has learnt its meaning and is now championing parental equality.
“I think there’s never been a time when there’s been more stress and more responsibilities on the shoulders of mums,” he says.
“So I think it’s so important now for dads to step up and really take on their fair share.”
I think a household where children are seeing the dad doing a lot of the domestic work that we as parents now don’t see, it’s only going to improve for the next generation,” he continues.
In his own household, Matty says he and Laura work hard to find the best ways to support one another, and will each step up to become the primary homemaker while the other is working.
While Laura was the solo parent and homemaker when Matty was on I’m A Celebrity last year, he has now taken on that role while Laura is busy with her podcast and MAFS hosting responsibilities.
“The pendulum’s always swinging,” he says of their sharing of responsibilities.
“So, it’s great when there are moments now where Laura’s work is so ramped up that I can really take the reins and do as much as I can.”
Advising other dads, Matt says the laundry is an easy yet helpful area to step into, describing it as a domestic task that can cause the most stress but is one of the easiest to do.
“At a minimum, I think dads should be adding that to the list of responsibilities around the house,” he says.
While he prides himself on a clean and tidy household, Matty admits his one bad domestic habit is not using the laundry basket – and I’m sure we can all relate!
“Clothes tend to end up on the floor in the bedroom,” he confesses.
“So, whilst I do take pride in doing the majority of the domestic work around the house, I do have an Achilles heel, which is not being able to use a laundry basket at all times.”
He’s more than aware that with the chaos of parenting, a perfectly clean house isn’t always possible, but he thinks that only makes for a happier family!
Matty J, father-of-three, has partnered with OMO to champion its Ultimate 3-in-1 Capsules so Aussies can embrace life’s messy moments.
