One thing is for sure, this moment in time has definitely brought with it uncertainty and stress.

As parents, we're facing not only money worries but also an ongoing stream of worrying covid-19 news, and we're dealing with this while adjusting our routines and spending much more time at home with our partners and kids.

No doubt you’re not used to spending this much time together, especially in such a confined space and this has probably led to not listening to each other and probably feeling really disconnected as a couple.

But it is now more important than ever to stand together with our partners. So we’ve pulled together 3 top tips to help you maintain your relationship through this unusual time.


1. New job titles

How your daily lives played out before isolation will likely be very different now. How you managed everything and everyone in the house before may not work now and you both need to be willing to redefine and renegotiate your routines.

Treat this assessment of the new situation, similar to how you would assess a new situation in the workplace. Think about what has changed and solutions to how it can work now. Listen to each other and prioritise things according to what is really going to make a difference. Don’t be afraid to compromise. The key here is to be flexible.

Decide together who will be with the kids at certain times of the day, delegate household tasks to each other and if you both work, manage how you will be able to schedule remote working into this. You may need to consider alternating during the day to ensure you’re both getting everything you need done.

2. New routines

In your normal day-to-day life emotional and physical space is already taken care of with work and other commitments creating pockets of personal time in your lives. Most people need some kind of alone time, it’s natural and something partners shouldn’t be offended by.

Firstly have a chat about what this space looks like to you. Help your partner understand what you need in order to work or just chill and also when that needs to happen. Be ready to listen and work together for the next option. Their ideas on this might be different to what you had in mind.

Something which might work well for you all is agreeing on an area of ‘Work’ and ‘family’ space. This will help you both as well as the kids to understand when you or your partner can be approached.

3. Don’t forget about each other

You may think how is this possible when you literally cannot get away from each other. But don’t forget time together isn’t necessarily quality time together, and little things throughout the day can make the biggest difference.

• Morning cuddles - the first thing you may go for when you first wake up is your phone. But try leaving your phone in the other room and reaching for your partner in the morning.

• Kisses - Release the feel-good cuddle hormone, oxytocin - hugging, kissing, holding hands… all help to make you both feel good. Even if sex is the last thing on your mind right now, these things will help keep you and your partner stay connected.

• Evening downtime - Zoning out with your phone at the end of a long day is always tempting, but try to use this time to connect with each other. Move away from everything going on in the world and spend some time together. Watching a show you both love, listening to a podcast, having a cozy meal together.