My wife and I dated for 3 months before we even kissed for the first time, and then we continued dating for almost 4 years before we got married. We consider the slow start to our relationship and the friendship we formed during that time to be the backbone of our relationship. We almost never fight, and when we do it’s over completely stupid stuff. That happens about 1-2 times per year. A solid friendship makes the best foundation for a lasting relationship. We’ve been together for almost 20 years now. Soon we will have been together for longer than we were apart.