Sex with the ex... ?

Now that I've got your attention... ;)

I wasn't really going to talk about sex with the ex, but having a relationship with your ex, as this is a subject that has come up a lot lately in my life. So, I wanted to share my views and get yours!

A little over 2 years ago, my boyfriend of 5 years and I broke up, and it turned my world around. We had shared everything for half a decade, good and bad times. Mainly good times. So for a few months we didn't really get on that well, sure, we'd still communicate, but on a practical level, arranging cat sitters and returning property etc.

Then, in the summer, I was around his house to collect something, and we had a little chat about how things were going, and he confided in me saying he had made a mess with someone he was seeing. So, good natured as I like to think I am, I talked him through it and gave him some advice. That was the point where we decided that even though we were no longer together, we could still be friends, and since then we have!

To make this even more complicated, throughout our relationship he was also great friends with his ex before me, who in turn is friends with his ex! Together, the four of us would go out for meals and drinks, or on holidays and weekend trips. The Ex-Men I used to call us, and still do!

Sure, there'd be arguments now and again, as there always will be with a group of opinionated people. But they were usually silly little things we'd get over in no time. Nothing really serious. My ex can be stubborn to a fault, and so can his ex.

But then, there was the fifth part of this story, my ex's current boyfriend. He was never too keen on the idea of doing things with us, and it has emerged that he didn't like that my ex was friends with his ex-es. This (among other issues) caused the end of their relationship (the one I gave advice on and helped work in the early days)...

Now I am seeing someone, who also has a great relationship with his ex. They exchange calls and texts, not on a daily basis but still, and his friends find it weird that he is in contact with his ex.

So I wanted to ask you guys, how do you feel about having a relationship with your ex?
If you are friends with your ex, are you comfortable with them, and even their new partners?
How do you feel about your current partner and their ex(s)?
Would you ditch your friendship with your ex if your partner asked you to?

PS. I understand that most people don't have the same relationship with all their ex-es...