i don't think there's any rule, i guess when the person REALLY feels ready to move on, so they wouldn't be using the new person. since your friend was in a really bad relationship and had wanted out for awhile he might have been chomping at the bit for a little fun with a woman, lol. i say good for him for finally getting out of the other one and moving on.

I think it's more respectful to wait a while after a break up than to just jump right in with someone new. Be single for a while to focus on yourself, let feelings fade, and I think it'd be better for both parties that way.

I don´t think it is nice. You can wait a little to make it so public, in order not to hurt the feelings of someone that loved you.

Personally I think sometimes you can be so over a relationship that by the time it finally ends you are ready to move on.
I kicked my ex out and went out on a blind date the same day- after so long feeling unattractive and unwanted, going out with someone new was exactly what I needed, not sitting at home feeling sorry for myself. I wasnt intending to start a new relationship immediately(which I didnt), far from it, I just wanted to feel good about myself again. My ex had no respect for my feelings or our relationship, why would I worry about his feelings after I finally got sick of his crap and kicked him to the curb?

It takes time to get over someone. And guys are not the exception, just that they tend to replace a relationship with another one. Haven't you seen sometimes when a man is widowed, within 3 months he can find himself engaged and possibly married to someone else? That's right.
When someone you were in a relationship goes on a date within days if not weeks, you wonder, "why the f*ck were we together in the first place? Did you care at all? If you werent that into me anymore then you should've let me go instead of dragging on as if you did" And then you may feel like a fool, or do the same thing and get on the horse( so to speak). As i said, it takes time. That time would be useful for figuring out your faults.

It depends on the situation. By the end of a relationship, some of us are ready to move on. If my ex was in my social circle, I'd respect their feelings and wait for a little a while before dating. I think it also depends on the kind of date it is. After being in a relationship for years, it can be harmless and fun to go on a date.

I think it's one of those things that completely depends on the relationship and the two people in it.

It depends on the situation. I was over my ex before the relationship was over and I began dating immediatley. I didn't need a recovery period and I definately was not thinking about his feelings. For once I was thinking about myself. If I got dumped by my current bf I would need to take some time for myself. Totally different relationship.

I fell completely in love with someone else about 2 months after a breakup with my boyfriend of 3 years. However, our relationship had been pretty much dead for at least a year. Also, I'd been in counseling during/ since the breakup (which started in April, continued thru May) and the person I fell for was a friend I'd known for 5 years. I feel like it was soon, but not too soon - we felt strongly about each other but didn't start to "date" until the end of August, and kissed for the first time in October. If it's a long relationship, it will take time, effort and maybe even therapy to heal, but hopefully you'll emerge with a strong sense of what you want and don't want in a partner (like I think I did).

p.s. it took us that long to kiss because he was in a different country! otherwise, it'd have been MUCH sooner, ha ha.

I think it depends on the relationship, and the person, but usually, at least 6 months if it was a relationship of more than one year, and/or a serious relationship.

I was single for almost 10 months before I started dating after my last relationship, and I still struggle with the emotional baggage of my previous relationship.

I do think that it's good to take some time out, but sometimes, you just need to clear the ex from your mind by replacing them with someone new and non-serious. Especially if the relationship had been dead for some time.

Do take it slow, would be my advice though, if it becomes more than a few casual dates and starts to develop into a relationship - explain to the person that you really like them but you're currently recovering from a bad breakup.

(Was there any evidence that this guy wasn't just having dinner/lunch with a work colleague? or a relative? or an old friend? why assume he's dating?)

I was with my ex-boyfriend for 3.5 years when we broke up last May. The last 8 months we were in a long distance relationship (I had finished college and found a job in another state where he was to follow) and when we were finally able to live in the same area the relationship had been strained and suffering so much that we couldn't recover.
I met my current boyfriend through mutual friends last Feb. and we had our first date in June. I always felt that you should wait before jumping into another relationship but when I met my boyfriend my heart literally skipped a beat and after our first kiss I knew he was everything I wanted in someone (and everything that was missing from my past relationship), we've been inseparable since. I felt guilty for moving on so quickly, but as some of the posters have said, sometimes by the time the relationship officially ends it has been dead for a while.
Sorry for the long post!

I think it depends on how you feel after. even though i broke up with my boyfriend of 3 1/2 and didnt cry or feel heart broken, I just wasnt ready yet about a year or two until start really dating.

I am ready to date again, but I am hoping I find the right guy for me which I thought I did. I am still friends with my ex and oddly it seems as time goes by I have realized something strange that I'm slowly starting to realize allot of things I did not realize when I was in a relationship and they are allot of good things too. Honestly, I am a bit confused as of now, but happy though. I guess everything happens for a reason.

i think when you really love someone, it can happen with just one guy. After a break up if its so easy to date some1 else instantly, u never really loved him... Some relations which last forever are so beautiful and amazing...but they all required patience and adjustment to become so strong and beautiful. Being from India i can give examples of Indian couples i know, infact i came across this article of a few couples whose love is evident in the smallest things they do.
http://www.idiva.com/idiva/bin/view/idiva/Relationships_topstories_love_...
Love can be so simple sometimes.

my thoughts on a general rule of getting over someone is about half the time you dated them....that's when you're really ready to move on (obviously this rule isnt foolproof)...but in terms of moving on, it really depends on how your relatiosnhip was and how it ended. sometimes you can mentally move on before you actually break up...i would think that a week after moving out from your 2 year live-in relationship is a little FAST but i started dating a guy 2.5 months after i broke up with a 3 month long boyfriend and people thought THAT was too fast so i dunno..it's all relative

My ex would jump from relationship to relationship with little to no time in-between - sometimes over-lapping! He was as unhealthy as they come, so, I think giving breathing room is a great idea. As far as how much room - I think that depends on the ended relationship.

I think it depends ...everyone has their own way of getting over someone and for some people it means dating someone new right away. For me, I need to be alone for a few months before I feel fully confident and ready to go forward.

i guess it depends

when my ex and i broke up, i went on a date with my current boyfriend the next day and then again later in the week. 2 1/2 weeks later we were officially a couple and we've been together since august '07. it seems weird to look at it that way.. like "overlapping", but every relationship and breakup has a background story and you really need to know it before you say its "too soon" to start dating someone else. in my case, my ex and i were already emotionally detached from our relationship and it was a matter of formality to break up officially.

just to add, my ex and i dated for over 6 years

you shouldn't wait..at all..keep it moving along. Nothing will get you over an ex faster then a date that reminds you what your really worth!!!

i think it depends. if you are doing the dumping and you are long over the guy you are with then obviously you will start dating as soon as you dump the guy. If you are dumped, well that depends too. If I was dumped I know i would not be able to start dating right away, it would take me a while. Now some people bounce right back. So I think it depends of the situation and of what kind of person you are =)

i dont think theres a rule. it would be in better taste to wait a little bit, but to each their own. it could be that they both felt their relationship had been over for awhile even before they officially ended it. i dont see anything wrong in going out and hanging out with someone (maybe thats just what he was doing). I wouldn't think too much into this, and honestly its none of your business. let your friend do what he wants, and its best not to get involved.

I am going to be perfectly honest here - I always have a rebound after a serious relationship. It helps to shift my feelings and move on from my ex. It really helps but this is just because I have seriously low self esteem and need to remind myself I am worth something... through sex... hot dirty sex.

Then I'll stay single for a while and approach dating with a fresh outlook. Works every time...

My mom used to say that love takes time, but how quickly it can die. In two weeks you can be over something that was completely wrong and unfair. Dry away the tears and move on. Best thing you could ever do.

I feel that it depends on the couples relationship, if it was a mutual break up, And they saw it failing then by all means. But if it blind sided one of the members that wait a little, you shared how ever many years of your life with this person. It's not nice to just slap her in the face with it.