Talking about ex's

There's an unwritten rule of dating that says "Don't discuss your ex at all..." While I understand that constant talk about ex's can be off-putting (to where you really wonder if the other person has let go, or is incredibly bitter towards all members of the opposite sex), there's another side to it.

Especially among us over 30 to 40, you're often talking about ex-spouses, or ex-long term relationships. And these play a part in who we are today. I'm almost in favor of talking about the ex's right away, to kind of get it on the table. Add children to the mix, and it's almost a necessity, because you can glean quite a bit about someone and/or their situation by how they talk about their child's other parent. If it's obviously an adversarial relationship, it might not be something you want to get involved in too deeply, because that can be a real hairball.

Maybe I'm just saying this because I have a decent friendship going with my ex. We do well as friends and co-parents, and we're never getting back together in any physical/romantic way, but friends works.

Also, an update on the golden child -- she has a hidden talent. She can speak birdie. A couple of barn swallows have made a nest in my porch at my apartment, and the chicks have hatched. My daughter stands outside and waves and says "Tweet! Tweet!" "Oh, do you speak birdie?" "Yes I do -- Tweet! Tweet!"

Proof that she speaks birdie...

--Curt