Lesson 6 116 Copyright 2018 Marline E. Pearson Once you decide to break up, make a plan. There are better and worse ways to break up. Conduct a quick brainstorm. Ask the group to quickly identify some really bad ways to break up. Don’t spend too much time. Just get some examples. Add the following if needed: (PP) • Get a friend to tell him or her. • Do it through a text message. • Change your Facebook status before telling the partner. • Send a Snap of you and someone else. • Wait for a fight and give them the blame. • Do things to make him or her break up with you. • Ignore him or her in the hope that he/she will get the message. • Be seen with another person or worse, get involved with his or her best friend. • Say, “We can still see each other, but let’s just be friends.” ❖ How many have heard this to cover up the truth, “I’m just not that into you”? It can give someone false hope. Is this fair? If one person still desires a relationship, just being friends can be torture. Pass out the handout Breaking Up Tips (Resource 6d, pg. 121) or use the PowerPoint slide and briefly review: (PP) 1. Talk to a trusted and wise person: Discuss the reasons the relationship does not work. If they encourage drama, chasing after him or her in a desperate way, or won’t keep your conversation private, they are not wise or a person to trust. Tell friends and family when you’re ending it. If you have any concerns about safety and how the person will react, ask a trusted adult to assist you. 2. Pick a time and private place to tell the person yourself: Do not break up in front of his or her friends. The person may become emotional. They may cry, be angry, or want to talk. Give him or her the respect privacy provides. Don’t tell the person right before a big Brainstorm: Better and Worse Ways Discussion: Breakup Tips