Being friends isn't the best move with every ex. Sometimes you need to kick that person out of your life for good. But if your breakup was amicable and mostly happened because you're just more compatible platonically, you may be able to salvage a worthwhile connection.

Putting yourself out there for it is a risk, but may come with a lot of rewards. If you practice patience, kindness and healthy boundaries, here's what's possibly in it for the both of you:

No custody battle for mutual friends

After a breakup, it's common to question who gets to keep the friends, which puts a lot of pressure on your mutual ones. Staying friendly with your ex assures everybody that they won't be put in that position. Your social circle is like a regular circle -- there are no sides to choose.

No one's the villain

So many breakups devolve into insults, bitterness and resentment, but internalizing and projecting that negativity can keep you from finding someone new. By staying friends, you may actually have an easier time being single.

You gain a friend who knows you better than most

Your friends might know you, but not in the same way they would if they had dated you. Your ex can read you like no one else, and that's a rare but important quality to have in a friendship. They can tell you what you don't always want to hear (but sometimes need to hear), because dating basically trained you for that.

There's nothing left to fight about

You've already had the all fights, and the solution to them was breaking up.

You both have an endless amount of joke ammunition

You can laugh together about each other's flaws, because you're no longer in a position to be rejected based on them. That's what friends are for -- as long as you both can dish it out and take it.

There's less baggage to bring into your next relationship

Your track record with exes can tell a potential partner a lot about your romantic past. A history of bad breakups suggests that you might be the problem, but a history of healthy ones highlights the positive qualities you could bring to a relationship (your personality, your passion and your ex's Netflix password).

You can be happy for each other

Actively rooting for your ex in their search might not be the norm, but it is a lot of fun. It's an effective way of telling future partners that you're not weird about the past, and they shouldn't be either.

Subsequent breakups are less scary

At the very least, you learn it's OK to end something that's not working, because you won't always lose this person forever. A failed relationship doesn't have to be a waste of time -- it can just be the road less traveled to a successful friendship.