"Happy" After

In my family studies class at school, we've talked about how to build/maintain a healthy relationship. There are several details of doing this, and many ways of doing it. I'll talk about the five main steps, using my Aunt Jill and Uncle Ralph's relationship as an example.

Step 1: Strong foundation. My aunt  and uncle went to school together. they had been friends long before they dated. They established a strong foundation with friendship, appreciation, and respect.

Step 2: Build healthy patterns. Uncle Ralph goes to work. Aunt Jill is a stay at home mom. When each of them are done with what they have to do, they spend time doing things together.

Step 3: Explore eachother's interest. My uncle doesn't care much for cooking, but he does it anyway because my aunt likes to. On the other hand, my aunt doesn't care much for fishing, but does it because my uncle enjoys it.

Step 4: Establish a pattern of apologizing. I don't know their pattern of apologizing, but they've been together and happy for a long time, so they must have one. Some people apologize when they know they were wrong. Some apologize immediately after something happens. Some wait until things calm down. As long as they apologize then it should be okay.