The coronavirus has shaken up many Americans' daily lives. With people being asked to school and work from home, and to stay inside, blended families have had to find unique solutions for co-parenting. Is it better for the kids shuffle back and forth between homes or should the parents set personal differences aside and spend time together?
One blended family that grappled with these issues told ABC News they decided to hunker down under one roof during the coronavirus outbreak. They now say it has brought them all closer.
Jordan Fisch and his wife, Laura Fisch, as well as Jordan Fisch's ex-wife, Denise Albert, and Laura Fisch's ex-husband, Dan Bassichis, all joined ABC News' "Pandemic: What You Need to Know" to discuss how they came to the decision to social distance together and co-parent in a rented home. They also spoke about the unexpected lessons it has taught them as a family.
MORE: Coronavirus live updates: FDA gives anti-malaria drugs emergency approval to treat COVID-19Albert, Jordan Fisch's ex-wife who at first was social distancing alone, said temporarily moving in together was "a very difficult decision" but then she realized "we needed one home instead of going back and forth between two."
"I've already been sick alone as a cancer survivor, and the thought of being sick alone is really what helped me make the decision to come under one roof," she explained. "When you get divorced, you also are constantly being told that you have to do what's in the best interest of your children and we all came together to really, really decide this was in the best interest for all of the children."
Jordan Fisch said "it's been interesting" and that he didn't "think any of us ever thought we would be doing this."
"We're having family dinners," he said. "We're taking it very seriously. We're being very careful. We basically haven't left the property in a very long time."
Ultimately, Jordan Fisch said the decision has created a positive shared experience for their family, both now and in the long-term.
"I think we're all going to grow from this as a family,"Jordan Fisch said. "Moving forward when we do go home back to our normal lives, I think we'll all be closer as a result."
Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.
The four adults and three kids have enjoyed group workouts, family game nights, cooking and eating, and even more mundane tasks like cleaning, working and schooling as a family.
Laura Fisch admitted that there have been some challenges with finding space, specifically "to be able to have our work day with privacy and confidentiality." She said the kids' schooling has also been a challenge, but that they just have "to be very organized with those logistics."
Bassichis, Laura Fisch's ex-husband, said that he'd recommend the peculiar arrangement to other blended families.
"Hopefully we don't need quarantine to learn the lessons we've learned, but I think the looks on the kids faces said it all," he said. "They were ecstatic for us all to be together. ... This was an opportunity to get to know the people that are important to my kids and we're having fun. ... Try to get to know the people in your kids lives whether it's in quarantine or in regular life."