Flickr photo by NifftyI'm sad. My little sister and her boyfriend, whom she's been with for five years, decided to go their separate ways yesterday.
This breaks my heart because I really, really liked him -- I thought of him as my own brother. I understand it's for the best, and she needs to do what makes her happy, and obviously, I'm going to support her decision.
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But having them break up makes me feel as if there's been a big ol' divorce in the family.
Once a family gets close to a significant other, break-ups get a lot messier, especially if that significant other was considered part of the family. When people look at past family photos, he'll be "oh, yeah, that guy ... I remember him."
But, that's life.
As close as I was to him, my sister comes first and, out of respect for her, I plan to distance myself from him. No more funny YouTube links being sent on Facebook, no more queries about Lost (how timely) -- I'll take a step back, keeping myself out of their situation. I'm hoping this is the appropriate action.
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Just because the relationship ends doesn't mean the relationship you built with the family has to. I hope that this will be the case with my sister's ex. I've maintained relationships with ex's families. Just this past Christmas, I spent an entire day with my high school sweetheart's mother, and my ex-fiance's mom and I message each other on Facebook every now and again. I was close to these families and thought very highly of them.
Hopefully, once things have smoothed over and hearts have been mended, I can continue my friendship with him. He's a great guy, just not the best match for my little sister.
What are your thoughts on staying friends with the ex's family after a break-up? Are you still close to any of your exes' families?
Written by Brittny Drye on CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
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