Sometimes you hear women talk about how and why they stay friends with their exes and wonder how they do it. For some of us that seems impossible. After the jump, eight women share their thoughts about how they are able to keep friendships with exes.
Source: Rubikon
“I’m still friends with a guy I had a hot summer romance with. He calls about once a year even though we are both married. I’m not sure why. It has been 20 years or more since that summer and he still checks in. It feels nice to be so memorable, though.” —Lisa, Minneapolis, MN
“I am still friends with my ex because we were best friends before we started dating. Even though the dating thing didn’t work, we were like family, so we have kept in touch; although we have literally moved on.” —Andrea, Rochester, NY
“I’m still friends with my ex because we were very young when we dated, just kids really, and he’s a guy I can trust because he’s gay. In other words, he’s not like other ex-boyfriends that want to be friends in hopes of dating again.” —Amy, Bryson City, NC
“I will always love him. If we had met at a younger stage in our lives, who knows, we may have been married. However, he will always have a special place in my heart!” —Malina, Gulf Coast, FL
Source: Snob
“I am friends with my ex because we mutually decided that we were just plain better as friends. We started out as friends and thought dating was initially a good idea. It worked for a few months, but we just didn’t quite click as a couple. Now, we laugh about the fact that we ever tried to date each other. We have been friends for 15 years and made the decision that dating was hurting our friendship. After we mutually broke it off, we literally became instant best friends again. We compliment each other, just not as a couple.” —Rose, Cleveland, OH
“My ex and I are friends now after not being in touch for 10 years. We had a steamy love affair which changed the path of both of our lives. It ended badly and we purposefully lost contact with each other. We recently reconnected and are friends because we were friends before the sexual stuff started, and we have wonderful memories of the time we spent together as friends.” —Carla, Holdenville, OK
“My ex is my soul mate and we stay friends because we will always connect on a special level nobody else can reach. We were young and naive enough to think our love could survive dating outside our relationship. Breaking up with him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. We have never been out of contact for more than a day or two, and our bond of friendship has never waned.” —Angela, Seattle, WA
“I have managed to stay at least peripheral friends with everyone I’ve dated steadily. The guys I was more serious about than just dating, we had to have some separation time before we were able to come back together as friends. I guess, when you put time and love into someone, the love doesn’t really ever go away completely. It just… changes. Plus, who else would know my quirks better than someone who spent a lot of time with me on a more intimate level?” —Michy, Gulf Coast, TX
Original by Pam Gaulin
