Latest news with #MattyJ
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Really hard': Australian TV star Matty J opens up about parenting
'I've never been facing more stress as a parent than at this particular moment in my life,' says podcaster and TV personality Matty J. 'I'm also incredibly in love with my children, the relationship I have with them, along with the one I have with my wife, is the most important in my life. I love being a parent. But I think it's important for parents to talk about the hard parts as well.' Matty, who is currently expecting his third daughter with wife Laura Byrne, co-hosts the podcast Two Doting Dads alongside Ash Wicks, where the men unpack the changing nature of modern fatherhood, the mental load of parenthood and the often-bizarre situations in which they find themselves. 'It's basically 90 per cent us taking the piss, and then 10 per cent will be really emotional stuff,' he said. 'And without fail, when we do open up about that, I get so many parents opening up about the way they're feeling in their own lives. It starts that conversation about mental health that might not have happened even seven years ago. 'I'm really fortunate that mental health has not been something I've struggled heavily with throughout my life. 'But at this point in my life, trying to balance being a present father, being a good and supportive husband, making sure my career is on track and managing the mental load of renovating a house is taking a toll. It's really, really hard. And I think it's OK that we talk about these things – in fact I think it is crucial. Unless you're a robot, I think all parents are in the same boat.' Australia is in the grips of a mental health crisis, and people are struggling to know who to turn to, especially our younger generations. Can We Talk? is a News Corp awareness campaign, in partnership with Medibank, equipping Aussies with the skills needs to have the most important conversation of their life. Among the stresses he's currently navigating, the devoted dad talks about the impending arrival of his third daughter, and the difference in the way people react when they discover he's about to become a dad again. 'We recorded an episode of the podcast yesterday where we were discussing how weird it is, the way people react to your first in a really incredible way, where they're like, 'my God, congratulations. This is awesome',' he said. 'Number two is pretty much the same – you get a similar response. You get the odd person being like, 'oh, two, that's a bit more of a juggle', but it's mostly positive. 'And then waiting for the third, the way that people react is just like, holy sh*t. Like, 'what are you getting yourself into?' You're just kind of in a brace position, waiting for the storm to hit.' Matty also pointed to the level of self-criticism that modern parents direct at their own parenting techniques as a source of deep anxiety. 'You're constantly questioning: am I doing this right? Am I a good parent, actually?' he said. 'I think it's at the point now where we have such a microscope over the way that we parent, and we're so aware now of what can potentially be detrimental and how we parent that the level of anxiety is just crippling.' Matty, whose mum, Ellie lives with him alongside his young family, credits his ability to share openly about mental health with the relationship he has with her. 'I'm one of five, and I think the fact that we have all always known that whatever we came to mum with – good or bad – there would never be any judgment,' he reflects. It's why I think I've been able to open up about the highs and lows of parenthood, and it's also impacted the way Laura and I are with our girls. We always try to create a safe space for them to express their emotions – and, for a four and six year old, emotional regulation isn't exactly their strong suit, but we always try to be consistent in letting them know that the range of emotions they experience is OK. 'I mean, I say that now, in an empty room without screaming kids in it,' he jokes, 'I don't always get it right, but we try.' This focus on open mental health conversations in parenting is a relatively new phenomenon, with Millennial parents the first to really embrace this approach as a generation. And it couldn't be more needed. New research from News Corp's Growth Distillery with Medibank has found that while partners and close friends are primary confidants when it comes to mental health, significant communication gaps exist between parents and children. About 28 per cent of parents of 16- to 30-year-olds have never discussed their mental wellbeing with their children. Half of all parents of 16-30 year olds (49 per cent) agreed with the statement, 'I do/would find it hard to tell my children I'm having challenges or struggling with my mental wellbeing', with only 39 per cent disagreeing. More concerning is the fact that two thirds of 18- to 30-year-olds (62 per cent), say they do or would find it hard to tell their parents or older close family members they were having challenges or struggling with mental wellbeing. For 18- to 30-year-olds, parents are the number one relationship that they wish they could talk to more, with almost half (47 per cent) saying so. 'I think where some older parents might have got it a bit wrong is that when their kid is a teenager and going through problems, they sit them down and expect them to open up, without ever having had those conversations beforehand,' Matty ponders. 'I don't think you can just expect your 15- or 16-year-old to feel comfortable to share their feelings with you if it hasn't been a consistent, ongoing conversation.'
Herald Sun
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Herald Sun
Why we should normalise baby showers for dads
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parenting. Followed categories will be added to My News. There's a sweet little baby shower video doing the rounds on Instagram right now, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. The adorable video was shared by @themelaninatedmomma, a heavily pregnant US woman showing a giant mountain of nappies, wipes and baby gifts stacked high in her living room, gifts from a surprise baby shower thrown for her husband by his workmates. And look, I don't care how emotionally dead inside you are, if that doesn't warm your cold, crusty heart, I don't know what will. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. Dads deserve celebrating too The video itself is wholesome, but it's the comments that really drive it home: 'My husband's coworkers did this when I was pregnant. He came home all kinds of excited - mainly women, one made a cake, another did an amazing gift basket full of necessities. I will never forget how they included him in the baby excitement too!' 'Wait can we stop and acknowledge and really enjoy the fact that they threw a baby shower for their male coworker because they are supporting his fatherhood. This is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! Fathers need to be part of the transition too!! Yes!!!!!' 'We forget that the dads need spoiling too. I know this is a bunch of wipes and nappies but it's one less thing for them to think about for a few months.' And this gem: 'We had one of these for a male coworker - it was a blast watching this big guy holding up the little garments. I highly recommend!' Honestly, what's not to love about Big Kev from logistics delicately holding a Bonds Wondersuit and pretending not to cry? RELATED: Matty J's candid conversation on changing gender roles How beautiful it is to see a father celebrated too. Source: @themelaninatedmomma Modern dads are all in Here's the thing. Baby showers for dads shouldn't be weird. Or rare. Or played off as some ironic 'dadchelor' party featuring cigars and a nappy-themed drinking game. They should be a thing - a meaningful, supportive, slightly silly rite of passage that says: mate, you're about to become someone's dad, and we're here for it. Because fatherhood? It's a big deal. And while society is getting better at letting dads show up for the emotional labour of parenting, we still don't do a great job of showing up for them. We forget that the transition to parenthood doesn't just belong to the person carrying the baby. It's a seismic shift for dads too. The midnight panic-googling. The 'is this car seat meant to wobble like that?' anxiety. The quiet moment where it dawns on them that a tiny person will soon rely on them for everything. That stuff deserves a cake. And maybe a three-pack of muslin wraps. The modern dad is all in. He's doing the nappy changes, the swaddling, the midnight feeds. He's packing the nappy bag (badly, but still). So why do we still act like the countdown to parenthood is a spectator sport for him? RELATED: Sam Wood's fatherhood advice is way too real Let's normalise baby showers for dads Let them unwrap bottle sterilisers with genuine enthusiasm. Let them try to guess what a nipple shield is. Let them awkwardly pin bibs to a clothesline strung across the tea room. Because as much as we laugh at the idea of Alan from accounting playing 'Guess the Baby Food,' we're also giving him a moment. A marker. A way of saying: this huge, wonderful, terrifying thing is happening to you too. And let's be honest, it's not just about gifts (though no one's turning down a bulk box of Huggies). It's about the symbolism. The support. The team huddle before game day. We've done a lot of work in recent years to shift how we see modern fatherhood. Dads aren't 'helping' anymore - they're parenting. Properly. And that deserves to be recognised, celebrated, and yes, showered. So next time your mate, brother, barista or boss announces they're about to become a dad, don't just slap them on the back and say, 'Good luck, mate.' Throw him a bloody baby shower. Let the big guy hold up the tiny socks. Let the office mums go rogue with a gift hamper. Let it be fun, supportive, and full of nappies. Because parenthood doesn't start in the delivery room - it starts with community. And everyone deserves to feel the love, right from day one. Even Big Kev. Originally published as Yes, let's normalise baby showers for dads
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Matty J reveals miscarriage fear after pregnancy announcement
A reality television star and father of two has opened up about the fear his wife's latest pregnancy announcement has brought up in him. Laura Byrne and Matty Johnson met on reality dating show The Bachelor, before tying the knot in 2022. The couple share two children — Marlie-Mae, nearly six, and Lola, four. Last week, the couple announced they were expecting yet another little girl after cutting a gender reveal cake during Laura's radio show The Pick Up, which she hosts with Brittany Hockley. But during Matty J's radio show Two Doting Dads, which he hosts alongside Ash Wicks, he spoke about his fears surrounding Laura's pregnancy. 'When I found out, we were at 11 weeks. We didn't even have the big tests, and so I was conscious that it was very early days, and I didn't want to celebrate that we were having a kid,' he said. 'With our cycle, when I say ours I mean Laura's. Our first child was a miscarriage, then Laura was pregnant with Marlie. After Marlie was born, she got pregnant again and we lost that child around 12 weeks. And then we had Lola.' He said he was looking at the 'road map' he and his wife had just come down, and worried they were 'kind of due for another miscarriage'. He added: 'There's no greater emotional whiplash than having a miscarriage.' At the time of the podcast recording, the couple were 15 weeks along. He said now all the tests have been done, and everything was 'tracking nicely'. The reality TV star, who recently appeared on I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Outta Here!, said he almost felt like he was 'waiting for the bad news' and he wouldn't feel OK until the baby was in his arms. Many listeners headed to the comment section to thank Matty J for his honesty. 'Pregnancy loss changes your brain chemistry so much. Lola & Marlie are both your rainbows. As somebody who's lost babies, thanks Matty J for sharing. The world needs more of this,' one said. Another added: 'So nice to hear a male talk about this!' 'Thanks Matty J for talking about this! Great to hear from a dad's perspective. I had two miscarriages and it's so hard to go through pregnant after loss. Very lucky to have two happy boys now,' one parent shared. Another added: 'Thank you for saying 'we'. So often it's put on the woman; 'She lost the baby'. But truthfully it's both and not at all the woman's fault.' Someone else agreed: 'It's so important to hear Dad's talking about this. Thank you both for everything you do.' 'Miscarriages and pregnancy loss should be spoken about, it's so common and it shouldn't be something that is taboo to speak about. So thank you for speaking about it,' another wrote. 'I have two children and on my eighth pregnancy, the worst part is the whole first trimester, denying and hating the sickness/nausea/sleepiness bc in the back of your mind is probably gonna lose it anyway,' one said. Another shared: 'The anxiety is so real, we had one healthy boy, followed by a miscarriage, followed by an ectopic with twins, followed by our rainbow baby boy, every pregnancy is stressful and an anxious journey after loss.' The 37-year-old revealed he and Laura were expecting the baby to arrive mid-October, saying they initially started trying to fall pregnant before he appeared on Ten's popular reality TV show.
Perth Now
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Popular Bachelor star couple announce huge family news
Laura Byrne and Matty J have announced they are having a third child in the most adorable way. The social media star couple's Instagram was taken over by their four-year-old daughter, Lola, who announced the family news in a video shared to their thousands of followers. 'Hi everyone, I got a baby in my mum's tummy and I'm so excited,' she said as she ran around the house smiling. 'I'm so, so, so, so, excited. 'I'd really like it to get a baby out. It's coming out today! Not really. But I'd really like the baby to come out.' 'It's not coming out … but I really love it.' Byrne mirrored her daughter's excitement, captioning the post, 'We are SO SO SO EXCITED!!!! Johnson #3 under construction.' Friends and fans soon took to the comments section with messages of support. Influencer Holly Kingston said: 'The best pregnancy reveal in history.' Another fan said: 'Post jungle baby, Congratulations.' 'This is how I want all good news delivered from now on,' a third added. Another said: 'Congratulations! I gasped when she said it was coming out today, so thank god she clarified with not really.' The internet personality discovered she was pregnant while her husband was filming I'm A Celebrity Jungle and revealed all on her podcast Life Uncut. She said her friends joked about her finding out while he was uncontactable on the show. The soon-to-be family of five on a trip to the Gold Coast. Credit: Supplied 'I found out very early on with this pregnancy,' she said. 'One of my girlfriends was like, 'Wouldn't it be funny if you found out you were pregnant when he's in there?' She didn't really know that we were trying. And I was like, 'Ah, that's actually a possibility'.' Matty J said on his podcast Two Doting Dads that if his wife found out they were having another baby, to come onto I'm A Celeb and tell him. 'I didn't want to take away from an experience that he was having and kind of like 'experience top' it with another thing, and I also wanted him to have some time to process what a huge thing he'd just been through,' Byrne said. The pair found love on season five of The Bachelor. Their first daughter Marlie-Mae was born in 2019 and Lola joined the growing family in February 2021.
