Playing Nice with Your Ex: Here's How

Set Ground Rules (especially if kids are involved) - Living in the same city, having the same friends or sharing parenting duties can make even a mutual breakup feel more awkward than that time you went to prom with your cousin. Combat difficult situations with a rule book. When calling to arrange pickups or dropoffs for your kids, agree to keep all conversation kid-centered. Unwilling to give up taco Tuesdays at the local Mexican joint? You each may agree to go every other time. Establishing guidelines up front prevents a sticky situation down the road.

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Kill Him with Kindness - Treating your ex like a friend (channel your inner Ross and Rachel) could get him to change a bad attitude or ease up on a certain situation like letting you take the kids an extra day or finally splitting up that DVD collection you accumulated together. The key here is to fake it until you make it.

Pick Your Battles - Make sure the things you show anger about really matter. Things like who gets to keep the camping equipment you never used or which McDonald's to meet at to drop the kids off don't count. Sometimes agreeing to disagree is the best course of action in an argument with a particularly stubborn ex. Starting fights over petty issues will get you nowhere.