SUDBURY -- For over two months, many Canadian families have been home spending a lot more time together than usual and an Ontario family lawyer has some suggestions to find balance and create more peace.

With many parents navigating working from home, while the kids are out of school and everyone sharing the same Wi-Fi and space, tensions can run high.

That is why divorce lawyer Russell Alexander, from southeastern Ontario, has written an article called The Coronavirus Is Hurting Canadian Families. Here’s What We Can Do.

With his years of experience dealing with families, he has offered these tips to keep your family intact during these days in quarantine:

  • Take time apart– set aside some time each day to be alone without interruption
  • Set up a daily debrief– take five or 10 minutes to talk to your partner and listen with no distractions
  • Get a hobby– find an activity that you can enjoy and give yourself balance
  • Remember this is only temporary – the long days at home will not last forever.

Alexander says calls to most law firm offices dropped in the first couple of weeks after the shutdown, but now that we are over two months in, many are starting to see a spike again.

While the world seems to be in chaos, Alexander says it is important to focus on maintaining and strengthening the bonds that tie your family together.

He recommends cutting each other some slack, giving each other some space and making sure you really connect at least once a day in order to come through the pandemic together.