18 Reasons It’s OK To Be Friends With Your Ex

Contrary to popular belief, being friends with your ex isn’t always a recipe for disaster. If you’re both able to focus on all of the great times you had together instead of how you messed each other over, a solid friendship is definitely in the realm of possibility. All it takes is a little time and space, two mature adults, and a mutual respect for one another. Here are 18 reasons it’s perfectly fine to be friends with your ex, despite what your BFF has to say about it:

  1. He knows your backstory. You don’t need to explain to him why you decided to become a vegetarian or how you got that scar above your right eyebrow. He already knows.
  2. Your relationship was too good to just end completely. That thing that drew you to each other in the first place didn’t just disappear just because you decided you want to have kids and he doesn’t.
  3. It’s easier to get over the breakup. One of the hardest parts about a breakup is missing that person you used to talk to about everything, but you if you can be cool enough to stay friends, you won’t have to.
  4. You’ve moved onIf you’re not still totally hung up on him and can handle meeting the new women in his life, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t stay buds.
  5. He gives good advice. You still value his opinion, and now that you can no longer withhold sex from him, he has no reason not to be completely honest.
  6. You care about each other. Because at some point, you’ll remember for the first time since you hated him that you used to love him (and in a different kind of way, you still do). Don’t believe me, just ask Gwen Stefani.
  7. Your breakup was amicable. You managed to not completely destroy each other when you parted ways, so salvaging a friendship seems pretty possible.
  8. You’re both emotionally mature. Which is why you were able to make the breakup amicable. You realize that you’d rather have him in your life as just a friend than as nothing at all.
  9. You have fun together. You can still do all the stuff you enjoyed doing together, like going to concerts, but you can pass on the annoying stuff like Thanksgiving with his parents.
  10. You don’t have to divvy up your mutual friends or avoid seeing them in social settings. Trust me, your friends will all really appreciate not having to pick sides or deciding which one of you they’ll invite to their New Year’s Eve party.
  11. The inside jokes. You share so many good ones, it would be a shame to let them all just go to waste.
  12. It feels like less of a waste of time. Often times after a relationship ends, you’re left feeling like you just wasted all that time on someone you shouldn’t have. If he stays in your life in some capacity, then your new-found friendship was well worth it.
  13. You don’t have to delete his very existence. Think of all the time you can save not having to delete the thousands of pictures of him on your Instagram/Facebook/etc. You should probably consider editing some of the MCM captions, though.
  14. You’re not living in the past. You aren’t dwelling on the relationship you used to have, you’re embracing your future and glad he is still a part of it.
  15. Burning bridges is never a good idea. Who knows when your paths will cross again, and his parents do have a lot of contacts in the field you are trying to break into…
  16. There’s nothing left to fight about. The whole breaking up thing resolved whatever issues you had. Him not putting down the toilet seat down is no longer your problem, but that shouldn’t prevent you from grabbing a beer together.
  17. Negativity/animosity in your life isn’t healthy for you. So really by being nice to him you’re doing yourself a favor.
  18. It’s nobody’s business but your own. Everyone will have an opinion on why you absolutely can’t be friends with him, but if it works for the two of you, who are they to judge?
Rachael is an award winning stand-up comedienne, freelance writer, and BravoTV superfan. Her Real Housewives tagline is “The only thing bigger than my boobs are my personalities.” In her spare time, she keeps busy catering to the needs of a very spoiled Siberian Husky, (Paris Hilton), cleaning the skeletons out of her closet (to make room for more shoes), and swiping left to everyone on Tinder. Follow her on twitter @therealplandd.
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