He Has A New Girlfriend Already! How To Handle It

he has a new girlfriend already

By Jackie Pilossoph, Founder, Divorced Girl Smiling, the place to find trusted, vetted divorce professionals, a podcast, website and mobile app.

Your divorce isn’t even final yet, and he has a new girlfriend already. Here she is, all smiles, happy and glowing. Her hair is perfect. Her nails are always done, even her toenails look good. This girl has prepped to the hilt. She’s still in that new relationship phase when she’s got to look perfect for her new boyfriend.

But the biggest thing is, she’s got that look on her face. You know the one. It’s the look of being completely infatuated and in love, and the reason you know it so well is that you once had this look. And now, she has it!

 

Tiffany Hughes Law

 

 

She gazes at him when he speaks. He can say nothing that isn’t brilliant. She giggles every time he makes a joke, even if it isn’t funny. And the worst one, he looks at her the exact same way.It doesn’t matter if your ex wanted the divorce or you were the one who broke up.  In either scenario, meeting the new girlfriend is brutal. I know because I experienced it.

Here are some do’s and don’ts that might make things easier when you come face to face with your old guy’s new girlfriend.

Can you believe he has a new girlfriend already??

Believe it. It’s not uncommon, and you can handle it! Here’s how.

1. Don’t be rude.

Actually, be really, really nice. There are several reasons I feel this way. First of all, if you have kids, they will appreciate this and it will make them so happy that everyone is getting along. Other reasons you should be more than polite: it will not only make everyone have respect for you, but you will have respect for yourself. You’ll feel great, trust me. Walk right up to her and shake her hand. Even if it’s difficult, do it.  You can’t lose.

2. Do remember that even if she wasn’t in the picture, you and your guy would not be together, so there’s no reason to be bitter or jealous.

And, if he broke up with you for her, just keep telling yourself that your kids need to come first and that you are being selfless by being kind. You are also being classy and gracious and I promise in the future, things will change. You will be happy again. You won’t always feel this angry about her.

 

 

3. Don’t be overly nice and/or fake to the point of being obnoxious.

I was once dating someone and met his ex wife. She was so over-the-top energetic meeting me that it was uncomfortable. It seemed really non-genuine. Be really sweet, but keep your distance a little bit. Everyone knows you’re not going to be best friends with her.

4. Don’t compare yourself with her physically or otherwise.

She might be really pretty. She might have an impressive career. She might have a killer body. She might be 10 years younger than you. Who cares? Try to focus on the things you like about yourself and things you are proud of. Just like yourself.

5. Do remember that the things about him that bugged the crap out of you will surely start to bug her if they don’t already.

Hopefully he has learned from mistakes he made in the relationship with you, but generally, he isn’t going to be a different person with her. He’s going to be him. Whether she can take it for the long haul remains to be seen. You couldn’t. Maybe she can. But, it doesn’t matter. Focus on yourself, your own life, and your own love life.

Like this article? Check out, “My Ex is in love with someone else now. How to cope.”

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    Jackie Pilossoph

    Editor-in-chief: Jackie Pilossoph

    Jackie Pilossoph is the Founder of Divorced Girl Smiling, the media company that connects people facing with divorce to trusted, vetted divorce professionals. Pilossoph is a former NBC affiliate television journalist and Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press features reporter. Her syndicated column, Love Essentially was published in the Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press and Tribune owned publications for 7 1/2 years. Pilossoph holds a Masters degree in journalism from Boston University. Learn more at: DivorcedGirlSmiling.com

    9 Responses to “He Has A New Girlfriend Already! How To Handle It”

    1. Ann Flood

      Love #1 and #4! Remember: new relationships are always so great because they haven’t started paying bills together, sharing a bathroom, raising kids, splitting housework, and on and on and on.

      Reply
    2. Courtney

      this really helped. i cried and laughed while I read it. oh yeah #myimmortal was playing in the background

      Reply
    3. Ghazaleh

      Just found out my ex is dating someone and it really hurt. My first instinct was to be mean but I realized I would only be making myself look like the bitter ex wife. I read your article at the perfect time 🙂

      Reply
    4. Deborah

      I love this post. I see my ex from time to time at work, and today he asked for a “chat”. One item was to tell me about his latest serious girlfriend, who I also see occasionally. Now, during lunch hour, I snatch a bit of your blog to help me deal with the news. Thank you. I always feel better after reading it. And this post I love.

      Reply
    5. tracy

      My ex-husband was dating someone towards the end of our 20 year marriage. After getting divorced, he waited about 6 months and told our kids (15 and 17). Unfortunately, my kids had already seen him on his phone with her, sharing kiss emojis, during our marriage. The aspect the cheater doesn’t take into account is how bad they look in their kid’s eyes. The kids will never look at him the same way and have refused to meet his girlfriend. And they’ve asked that he not even talk about her. Because he’s selfish and lacking empathy, he made it all about himself and nothing about our two boys. Their relationship is very broken because of his choices. Something to consider if you’re the cheater or if you’re thinking of hopping right into the dating game too soon after divorce. The kids are watching and it does affect them.

      Reply

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