Candace Cameron Bure Says Jesus Is the Secret to Her 22-Year Marriage

Candace Cameron Bure has been married to Valeri Bure for over 20 years

Candace Cameron Bure really does have a full house!

Having been married more than 20 years to Valeri Bure, the actress admits that sometimes she and her husband — they are parents to daughter Natasha, 19, and sons Lev, 18, and Maksim, 16 — just need some time away.

“I just came back from Switzerland two days ago with my husband,” she told PEOPLE at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday. “We had a little five-day vacation, so that was wonderful. We do like to travel and get away from everything here at home in L.A., and from our kids, as much as we love them. We want alone time, you know what I mean? And our kids are older too.”

The couple is very supportive of their kids and of each other. And ultimately, what holds her marriage and family together is their faith in Jesus Christ.

“The reality is the glue for us is Jesus,” she said. “It’s the Bible. You know, when there are arguments or we’re compromising and in ways, it’s always like, ‘Well, let’s just go back to the Bible.’ It’s the foundation for us. So it’s not about winning or losing. But doing this journey together.”

Cameron Bure, who attended the Kids’ Choice Awards with Natasha, loves spending time with her kids too, though. She and her husband believe that parents should enjoy a close relationship with their children so that they can feel comfortable confiding in them.

• Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.

“It’s so important to engage with your kids constantly. I talk with them nonstop from really kind of intense and deep conversations to the fluffy stuff and the day-to-day,” she said. “But it’s important to let them know that you’re there for them no matter what. As a mom, I’m always going to have an opinion, but not in a judgmental way, if that makes sense. I’m going to give my best advice as a mother, or my husband as a father. But we want to be open enough that they don’t feel scared to be able to talk to us.”

Steve Granitz/WireImage

Reflecting on her days as a teen, the actress notes that things were far different when she was growing up.

“Just with social media and the internet, the world is such a much smaller place,” she said. “When I was 16, I had to actually travel to Spain to really understand what went on in Spain. Sure, I could read an encyclopedia or a textbook, but I didn’t have immediate access. Our children do. It’s very different. I think they’re exposed to so much more now than when I was a teenager. And some of that is for good, and some of that is not for the best.”

One thing Cameron Bure believes in is the power of the voice of the youth today. Regarding the hundreds of thousands of protesters who took to the streets on Saturday to call for gun violence prevention, she only had positive things to say.

“I’m very, very proud of all the young people that went out today and marched,” she said. “I think, as a mother, it’s so important to teach our children to use their voice. To know that they’re never too young to have a voice, to have an opinion, and to speak their mind, regardless of whether people agree or disagree with them.”