Should you really stay "friends" after the relationship is over?

Breaking up IS hard to do. There’s pain, tears, possibly even anger.  So to soften the effect of the words, what we do is say, "but let's stay friends."

In a civil world, this may seem like a good idea. Mind you, you were in a relationship with this person for some type of good reason, it is evident you like them as a person, you had fun together and shared a lot together. It's just now, things changed.  If both individuals are emotionally mature, and completely lacking in romantic feelings for each other, then a jump straight to the friend zone might be possible. However, this very rarely happens. Mutual breakups are usually not mutual, and the breakee is holding on.

So the question is:  Can you easily turn off the romantic feelings when relationships end?   Deep down inside, if you still have feelings for that person do you still have the "hope" that you will get back together?

How about those mixed messages?

One of the worst things that can happen to your dating life is getting hung up on someone who doesn’t love you. You pine, and they move on. Each new person that comes your way and expresses interest is swiftly blown off, because you are desperately hoping you can rekindle the flame with your ex.

You can’t meet someone new because your old love is still in your life — hanging around being your pal and reminding you how great they are.

I believe everyone needs a cooling off period but that can get very tricky if the other party still has not let go!  Serving walking papers..

Staying Friends – is it a good idea?