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Bachelor parents Matty J and Laura worried they’re ‘not doing a good job’

The Bachelor’s Matty J and Laura Byrne reveal why social media forces them to compare themselves to other parents, and why they feel more confident after their second child.

Laura Byrne and Matty J have welcomed their second child

Four years after meeting on The Bachelor, Matthew “Matty J” Johnson and Laura Byrne are not only happily engaged, they are also parents to two young daughters – one-year-old Marlie-Mae and 15-week-old Lola. So the two tired (yet happy) parents can attest: the juggle is real.

“We’re all just figuring this out.” (Picture: Manolo Campion)
“We’re all just figuring this out.” (Picture: Manolo Campion)

“We had just figured out one kid. We had our routine, everything was getting easier and then all of a sudden we’re like, ‘Oh, this is too easy now, let’s throw a spanner in the works,’” Byrne tells Stellar On Friday as she laughs.

“We’re definitely trying to find our groove about what the next chapter looks like. I will say, though, it’s been easier from my own personal identity [perspective], but it’s been harder to juggle two kids than one obviously, just from how time-demanding it is.”

Johnson adds, “We were flying blind [with our first child], constantly trying to read stuff online and speak to other parents. Now I think we can learn a lot more autonomously because we just know a lot more.”

He looks at Byrne. “I look at you and you’re just such a wealth of knowledge.”

Find more exclusives in this Sunday’s Stellar.
Find more exclusives in this Sunday’s Stellar.

Byrne reveals she has a lot more confidence in her own abilities as a parent now, even though “comparison culture” is widespread.

“We have so much access to other people’s lives. We see so many other people on social media and on TV. Sometimes it feels and looks like other parents are just totally killing it; it can leave you feeling like you’re not doing a very good job,” she confesses.

“But then you realise it’s all a bit of a roller-coaster and we’re all going to have our ups and downs. You realise you don’t have any idea what you’re doing and nobody else does, either. Instead of asking for everyone’s opinion, it’s ‘Oh, we’re all just figuring this out as well.’”

Originally published as Bachelor parents Matty J and Laura worried they’re ‘not doing a good job’

Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/bachelor-parents-worried-theyre-not-doing-a-good-job/news-story/c19caf261e079c622341d0432f509170