Did you see the tweets from former baseball star David Justice bashing his ex, Halle Berry? What about when another ex of hers, singer Eric Benet, commented on the Twitter feed in support of the trash-talking? Even if there is some truth to these tweets, it only makes Justice and Benet look bad. Does Berry have a good track record as a wife and girlfriend? No, but everyone already knows that. Her exes banding together to bring her down lacks class and that stands out more than anything else. (Note: Justice has since said that he was more interested in clearing his name about longtime allegations of abuse.)
I wrote about this a few years ago, imploring singles to not be negative when answering the profile question “What Have You Learned From Past Relationships?” It’s more important to state the positive lessons you took from the relationships than bashing the people you are no longer dating.
The temptation to share horror stories about an ex can also come in when you meet in person. But if someone asks why a previous relationship didn’t work out, remember that it’s up to you how much you want to share. Sum up the break-up succinctly without any trash-talking. Here are some responses you could use:
- “It didn’t work out.”
- “We grew apart.”
- “We decided to take different paths.”
- “We weren’t meant to be.”
It’s simple, it’s quick and it lets you focus on getting to know someone new rather than dwelling on the past. Keep these responses handy for the next time you’re tempted to badmouth a former beau.
