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Can you be friends with an ex?

Pro: Of course you can remain friends with an ex. How could you not? It’s been my experience that anyone I really care for, I will always care for. I’m not saying that you should be friends with every ex — that would be ridiculous. But you wanted these people in your life for a reason. Just because romantic love didn’t work out for you guys doesn’t mean you should give up on any sort of relationship with them completely. 

Con: It’s inappropriate; if you want to move on, you just can’t do it. While you do care for them, you just were in such a deep and connected relationship with these people. It’s hard to move on when you are still trying to maintain that connection, even if it’s only as friends. There was a reason you wanted to take your relationship to a romantic level, and now you have to step back. Let it breathe and get your bearings. How are you supposed to move on, if the person you once loved is still present in your everyday life?

Pro: I’m not saying you should immediately move from romance to friendship – that might get a little confusing, I agree. But how can you ever become friends with someone you once loved if you never give it a chance? Also, not every relationship you start is going to be this huge and meaningful thing. I personally know people who have started dating and within two weeks realized they would work better as friends. Sometimes an ex is just an ex and you create a more meaningful connection with them once you leave the relationship.

Con: While you could look at individual relationships, where people realize they don’t work out together , we can’t assume that this is the case for all relationships. Sometimes trying to compartmentalize emotions for someone you once thought you loved, isn’t as easy as flipping a switch.

Pro: I see where you’re coming from. However, according to our latest poll, more people tend to agree that you can in fact be friends with an ex. However, it would seem that the majority believe that it’s dependent on the situation, which I think is the conclusion that we’re coming to. 

Can you be friends with your ex?

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Con: Yeah, I would agree that it really just depends on both how your relationship ended and the type of person you and your ex are.

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