Stay Friends After a Divorce

You don't miss them as your spouse, but you miss them as a friend.

Steps

 * 1)  Make sure you both want to remain friends. If one of you doesn't, don't push it. You may have really hurt them, and they want nothing to do with you, or they may have hurt you and also want nothing to do with you. Why would you want to be friends with someone who doesn't want to be friends with you?
 * 2)  Don't talk about who you're dating! It's neither of your business.
 * 3)  Don't argue about the divorce! Whether it's his fault, her fault, you got cheated on, you cheated, whatever, it's in the past now. Let it go.
 * 4)  Keep the topics light.
 * 5)  Make actual plans, and don't just 'hang out'. See a movie, go out to eat, something besides just sitting there to avoid awkward moments.

Tips

 * Talk to him/her like you would a friend, and don't let your ex talk to you like they would when you were married. You're friends now, nothing more, and nothing less and deserve to be treated like one.
 * Treat him/her like a true friend. Don't treat them one way in one circumstance and differently in another. You can't be friends if you hug him/her every time you see them then not if your new boyfriend/girlfriend is around. That is not fair to your ex or your new "friend". It will make your ex feel as though your trying to hide your innocent relationship and will ultimately feel betrayed.

Warnings

 * If you still have feelings for the person, it is not recommended to stay friends. You will fall back into the same routine as if you were together, or you'll just get hurt as you see them happy and moving on.
 * If you're not over it, get over it, then try.

Related

 * How to Survive a Divorce
 * How to Handle Divorce Anger
 * How to Choose the Right Divorce Lawyer
 * How to Be Happy After Divorce
 * How to Hire a Divorce Lawyer
 * How to Cope with Divorce as a Child