Age difference in relationships

tonycascarino · 01-12-2012 06:44AM

I am 27 and my gf is 20..no problems

sam34 · 01-12-2012 08:11AM

I spent a year seeing a man who was 23 years older than me, i was 27 and he was 50. when it ended, it wasn't because of the age gap, it was for other reasons. and it wasn't a rich sugar daddy scenario, as I was earning a lot more than him.

the longest and most significant relationship I've had was for 5 years with a man 11 years older than me.

Heroditas · 01-12-2012 08:23AM

Celine Dion's husband is 26 years older than her.
They started going out when she was 19.
It just seems a bit creepy to me. They first met when she was 12. At what point did he stop seeing her as a child and started seeing her as someone he could have a sexual relationship with?

Apart from that, age shouldn't matter. If people are happy and "connect", then good luck to them.

girl in the striped socks · 01-12-2012 08:34AM

When I was 19 I was going out with a man who's 16 years older than me.
The only problem with it is that I was far too immature to be honest. He was little more than a bum & bled me dry for money. I obviously didn't see that for quite a while so I was made to look like a proper fool. But to be fair that was my problem & not his. I should have copped on much sooner so in a way I deserved to be made a fool out of. First & last time it happened.
Age is only a number in my book, if two adults are happy & consenting then its really no one else's business but their own.

darrcow · 01-12-2012 09:04AM

i meet the wife when she was 16 and i was 26. the wife had our first child when she was 17 and now 2 more kids and 16 years later we are still going strong. age is just a number

Madam_X · 01-12-2012 11:57AM

humbert wrote: »

Given the naive attitude teenaged girls have toward older guys I find guys in their mid to late twenties dating such girls seedy and manipulative.

Depends on the girl, the motivations, etc - but yeh, the "I chase after young ones" bravado on leaving cert night etc is pathetic.

Micky Dolenz · 01-12-2012 12:01PM

Age is only a number.

Nothing better then an experienced woman with no teeth.

smash · 01-12-2012 12:24PM

In the words of Jimmy Saville:
"If she's old enough to crawl, she's in the right position"

*Jimmy Saville may or may not have actually said this.

endofrainbow · 01-12-2012 12:59PM

age ain't a number - it's a word :P

Conrach · 01-12-2012 01:13PM

My husband is 18 years older than me and we are very happy.(10 years later) When we met there were rumours that I was after his money. Yeah right!! I had more at that time.

I was the right side of younger that people didn't think of me as a trophy wife for him. I was early 30's.

Mum and Dad expressed some concern at the age difference because he was only a few years younger than them. They were reminded that my paternal grandparents were 20 years apart and my maternal grandparents 18 years apart and they were very happy and very close. Mum and Dad, who were the same age, only stayed together long enough to conceive 3 children.:)
I think a teenager and a much older partner would give me cause for concern but outside of that it doesn't matter.

getz · 01-12-2012 01:28PM

darrcow wrote: »

i meet the wife when she was 16 and i was 26. the wife had our first child when she was 17 and now 2 more kids and 16 years later we are still going strong. age is just a number

sure is my wife is 12 years younger than me,they said it wouldent last, yet still together and married for over 40 years

Celly Smunt · 01-12-2012 01:46PM

SaulGoode9 wrote: »

Half your age plus seven

the sex is better if you half your age and subtract 7.

getz · 01-12-2012 01:49PM

pmcmahon wrote: »

the sex is better if you half your age and subtract 7.

whats sex ?

Micky Dolenz · 01-12-2012 01:51PM

getz wrote: »

whats sex ?

Google it, loads of educational videos on the subject

Madam_X · 01-12-2012 01:55PM

I agree two people who really like each other should go for it, feck the age gap. The age gap could cause issues down the line though, in terms of different life stages (e.g. one might want children, the other might feel too old to have children and may already have children) but it's worth giving it a try and seeing where it goes.

Anyone who'd actually see the meaningless "half your age plus seven" thing as something to abide by needs their head checked btw...

humberklog · 01-12-2012 02:21PM

The half your age plus 7 is a silly nonsense, but fun. Most people I think use it to see who falls into their window of opportunity.

It's more fun conversely using the equation to see whose window of opportunity you fall into. I'm fair game for 70 year olds...woohoo!

Also notice that the only people hung up on age difference are young prople not in a relationship where the age difference is larger than the norm.

Grown ups, or people with a grown up attitude don't seem to mind it.

Please Kill Me · 01-12-2012 02:40PM

ProfanityURL wrote: »

Has anyone ever heard of some questionable age differences between people in relationships...

Define questionable! I'm 42 and my fiancee is 27. We're together over 4 years and couldn't be happier. We have 2 kids and another on the way. Is there something wrong with that?

Age is just a number, doesn't mean anything. Yes it's different if a 25 year old is seeing a 10 year old, but in my case (and many others I'm sure) the gap doesn't mean anything.

Roadtrippin · 01-12-2012 02:55PM

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

But within saying that if I heard of an 18yo girl being with a 48yo man... Of course I would raise an eyebrow and think to myself "she's using him" - But my opinion dont matter. Live and let live.

She is using him? Really now? I'd say he is using her just the same. Probably taking advantage of a couple of daddy issues...

jaffacakesyum · 01-12-2012 02:57PM

On the one hand, I agree with a lot of other posters on here who say age is just a number and if two people love each other than who cares what anyone else thinks? Clearly there is a lot of cases of "questionable" age gaps where it's worked out and the couple are happily married etc.

However, I'm not going to lie. I still initially think it's creepy when I see a 30+ year old with an 17/18 year old. Especially in pubs/clubs when older men/women specifically go after young uns. I certainly would be apprehensive if my son or daughter seeing someone twice their age.

ProfanityURL · 01-12-2012 03:06PM

Piliger wrote: »

You really do give away your lack of years. "Feel weird" ? that sounds like something my 14yo nephew might say. And who on earth are you referring to when you say 'acceptable' ? Acceptable to who ?

Do I? Oh how embarassing.

Weird: Odd, bizarre, curious, peculiar, strange, unusual, inscrutable. Are any of these more appropriate?

I shall contemplate the folly of my youthful naivety over a bowl of coco pops during dora the explorer...

mattjack · 01-12-2012 03:10PM

I'm doing this wrong aren't I , everyone here is talking about a man being with a younger woman.... I ended up with a wife older than me

NegativeCreep · 01-12-2012 03:12PM

I've just gone 19 and I've rode some 30 year olds. Never been in a relationship with anyone who wasn't either 2 years younger or 2 years older than me though. I dont think relationships can work with a huge age gap but if it's just sex sure it's grand.

cafecolour · 01-12-2012 03:19PM

I'm 35 and currently dating a 23 year old (for about 6 monts so far), and it's fine. We generally have similar interests (theatre, movies, camping, video games), so it works out. If he wants to go out on the piss and go clubbing, he goes with some mates and I do something else (I've never been a big one for that sort of thing).

The major problem that I've seen with age differences is that some of the people (men and women) who consistently date people a lot younger can be very jealous and controlling (and date someone younger because they're more easily dominated.)

Grayson · 01-12-2012 03:33PM

Personally i had a bad experience with an age gap in a relationship. But honestly i think that was more the people involved.

Really, it can take a lot to make any relationship work. If two people can make it work then I really don't care what age they are. Well except for a 20 year old with a granny. that's a bit ick.

oppenheimer1 · 01-12-2012 03:57PM

Please Kill Me wrote: »

Define questionable! I'm 42 and my fiancee is 27. We're together over 4 years and couldn't be happier. We have 2 kids and another on the way. Is there something wrong with that?

Age is just a number, doesn't mean anything. Yes it's different if a 25 year old is seeing a 10 year old, but in my case (and many others I'm sure) the gap doesn't mean anything.

This is nonsense, age is more than just a number. It signifies the place we are in our lives. Someone who id 35+ generally have marriage and children on their mind and generally someone who is significantly younger usually won't be able to offer them that.

There are exceptions of course - but to say age is irrelevant is simply wrong.

Cerulean Chicken · 01-12-2012 04:26PM

My Dad turned 50 the year his (now ex) girlfriend turned 21. She was 3 years younger than me, the whole thing would've looked/seemed odd except that she looked 35 and acted 55. She's now about 24 and going out with a 65 year old. One age gap like that can be love, two is just weird.

Madam_X · 01-12-2012 04:35PM

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

This is nonsense, age is more than just a number. It signifies the place we are in our lives. Someone who id 35+ generally have marriage and children on their mind and generally someone who is significantly younger usually won't be able to offer them that.

There are exceptions of course - but to say age is irrelevant is simply wrong.

Yeh, "Age is just a number" is bullsh1t. As I said, I don't think an age gap should stop people going for it (and feck what other people say/think) but it's incorrect to say the age gap won't lead to difficulties. It might not, but it very well could.

Pal of mine was in a relationship at 33 with a 23-year-old guy and even though things were brilliant for ages, he was really mature etc etc... the age gap eventually caused issues - namely that she was ready to start a family, he wasn't. So it ended. Good that they gave it a try though.

steve9859 · 01-12-2012 04:42PM

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

This is nonsense, age is more than just a number. It signifies the place we are in our lives. Someone who id 35+ generally have marriage and children on their mind and generally someone who is significantly younger usually won't be able to offer them that.

There are exceptions of course - but to say age is irrelevant is simply wrong.

Do you have to be over 35 to be thinking marriage and kids? I know 23 year old girls who want just that....

ToddyDoody · 01-12-2012 05:31PM

Like most things, its acceptable for the man

Grayson · 01-12-2012 06:15PM

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

My Dad turned 50 the year his (now ex) girlfriend turned 21. She was 3 years younger than me, the whole thing would've looked/seemed odd except that she looked 35 and acted 55. She's now about 24 and going out with a 65 year old. One age gap like that can be love, two is just weird.

I've never got those people who seem to be born middle aged. I've met people 10 years younger than me and thought they were older.

Age difference in relationships

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