The Family Tool Box—
“F-words” that build good relation

BY JIM HALBUR

Valentine’s day is an opportunity to use the three F-words to build a stronger relationship: Faithful, Family and Fun.

Faithfulness is a given in a functional, happy relationship. My wife, Kelli, and I found one practical way to help remain faithful was to never depart from what got us here—dating often. Valentine’s Day has always been one of those great opportunities for dating. For us it became a tradition to dress in a manner that made it special and dine at a favorite restaurant.

Discussion would include, but not be limited to, three things that we like about each other. We have always tried to let this time be special and not be consumed by love busters (things we know the other one doesn’t like).

Jim & Kelli Halbur

Family is the second F-word that we have focused on to make our relationship meaningful and help keep it on track. As we still maintain other date nights, Valentine’s Day in recent years is something we enjoy at home because we include the children.

One of us prepares a nice dinner to the other’s surprise; we both dress for a special occasion; we set up a table, with linens and everything, in front of our fireplace; we sit down and the kids serve the dinner. Even before we had children, we viewed ourselves as a family, which meant our relationship was more important than either of us by ourselves.

One of the things we enjoyed early in our relationship was the Fun we had together. We soon realized that responsibilities and worries in life can consume any attempt to have fun, so it became important to plan Fun times, like cuddling on the couch, playing board games, watching a movie (especially a comedy), bowling, tennis, biking, going to the beach or theater, or attending sporting events.

We have been married 15 years and continue to enjoy building our relationship with the F-words: faithful, family and fun.