Bachelor star Matty J reveals his biggest parenting mistake

Former Bachelor star Matty Johnson has revealed the biggest parenting dilemmas he and wife Laura Byrne face with their kids.

Former Bachelor star Matty ‘J’ Johnson made a candid confession about the biggest parenting mistakes he and his wife Laura Byrne face with their kids.

Speaking to news.com.au, the father of two revealed one of his parental struggles is failed sleep routines with his daughters Marlie-Mae, five, and Lola, three.

“There’s definitely this narrative that you shouldn’t allow your kids to bed with you,” the TV personality said.

“You have to make pretty clear boundaries and that they stick to their own bed.

“We are of the opinion that if it helps them get to sleep quicker, which I know short-term is great, maybe long-term, who knows what type of problems we’re instilling in them.

“We pretty much every morning wake up with both kids in our beds, and we’re totally fine with that. It means everyone gets a much better night’s sleep rather than dealing with a screaming toddler who’s being dragged back into her bed.”

Matty ‘J’ Johnson made a candid confession about the biggest parenting mistakes. Picture: Instagram/matthewdavidjohnson

Another parenting dilemma the former reality star shared is the public opinion over his three-year-old daughter Lola is still using a dummy.

“A lot of people have been very opinionated on Lola still being on the dummy,” he said.

“We try to get her off the dummy, because everyone’s like, ‘Oh, for the jaw structure, for the teeth it’s really bad’.

“We tried for two weeks and it was the worst two weeks of my life. And so we’re like, ‘You know what? If she wants the dummy, we’ll allow it. We don’t mind.’ There’s other families out there that have had a child on a dummy until they were four and they were absolutely fine.”

He continued: “There’s so many different ways to approach parenting and if it works in your household and your child is happy, safe and healthy, then I think that’s the most important part.”

The former Bachelor star said there’s so many different ways to approach parenting. Picture: Instagram/matthewdavidjohnson

Describing parenting as “a never-ending list of failures”, Johnson said knowing he’s not alone in the experience makes such a huge difference.

“There is nothing that makes me feel more normal and not like a total failure then when I share a story of a parenting struggle,” he said.

“Other parents reach out to me either on social media or in person and say, ‘I’m going through the same problem!’”.

He loves being a girl dad, and the 36-year-old has a lot of one-on-one time with his daughters while his wife Laura works as radio host for KIIS FM’s The Pick Up, co-hosts the podcast Life Uncut and runs her jewellery brand Toni Mae.

“I was always happy to split the responsibilities of parenting. It was never a question in our relationship,” he said.

“I was brought up by a single mum who worked full-time, so the traditional mould of a stay at home parent wasn’t something I experienced growing up.

“When Laura wanted to return to work after having kids, it was never a surprise to me.”

Johnson said knowing he’s not alone in the parenting experience makes such a huge difference. Picture: Instagram/matthewdavidjohnson

When it comes to activities with his daughters, Johnson said he’s never made a conscious effort to break down gender stereotypes.

“My approach to parenting is also the path of least resistance which might contribute to me being a typical girl dad,” he said.

“If they want to get their nails painted, I’ll be first in line with the nail salon to get my nails done.

“Whether it’s tea parties, listening to Taylor Swift and putting on concerts, not only does it make my kids happy, but also I have a lot of fun doing that as well. I can’t really imagine life not being a girl dad.”

He added: “Whilst we do like playing some of the typical girly activities, at the same time I kind of want to have a wrestle with the kids, I want to play more like boyish games.

“I definitely put in my influence in some of the games that we play, whether it be kicking around a soccer ball or building a fort and then playing like cops and robbers. But if it makes them happy and it keeps them quiet for 45 minutes, then it’s the dream.”

Matty J and Ash Wicks have partnered with Nerf to launch their brand new N Series. Picture: Supplied

One activity Johnson recently introduced to his daughters is Nerf. The media star and his Two Doting Dads podcast co-host Ash Wicks have partnered with the iconic toy to launch their brand new N Series.

“Both my girls are very competitive, which is tricky because I also love to win,” he said.

“Every now and then I’ll throw a game of Eye Spy, but Nerf battles are different. It’s every man for themselves.

“Marlie has a pretty good aim so she’ll give me a run for my money.”

Johnson’s best tip to winning a Nerf battle is to be “triggered”.

“I think the more bullets that you can fire in the shortest amount of time is the best approach to Nerf battles with your kids.”

Originally published as Bachelor star Matty J reveals his biggest parenting mistake