Dating someone younger.

[Tigerlemur]

I'm currently dating someone who is about 2.5 years younger than me. 19 to 17-ish. It's pretty great, I haven't had this kind of bond in a relationship with someone for quite sometime... Heck, maybe the first time I've felt this way. To be fair, that's more about her than it is about her age.

OT: A year is really nothing significant. Dating younger women is fine, as long as it's legal in my opinion, just as dating older people is fine, based on the same qualification of legality. Though, I do wonder about people who date others drastically older than themselves... 20 years or so. When you're 30, they'll be fifty... When you're fifty, they'll be seventy... It just doesn't seem as okay as it drags on. But, love conquers all I suppose.

 

[Jenvas1306]

oh well...
Id say everything between legal till death goes in any combination.
Just, if you are at a similar age, its more likely to have similar interesst, goals and life situations => makes thing easier.

btw "Harold and Maude" is a very moving love story (' I would be remiss in my duty, if I did not tell you, that the idea of... intercourse - your firm, young... body... comingling with... withered flesh... sagging breasts... flabby b-b-buttocks... makes me want... to vomit.')

 

[tsb247]

My wife is two years younger than me. It's not big deal to date a little younger. Just as long as you don't break any laws, you're golden.

At your age, OP, the differences in maturity can affect the relationship. Believe it or not, that can make a huge difference depending on the two involved. Just go in to have fun, and y'all should be alright.

 

[SaetonChapelle]

I am not into younger guys. Not saying they're bad, and Ive dated quite a few, but I find myself more attracted to older gentleman, just my taste. I am 23 and have dated those that are 20, up to 35. Single now so apparently none of the above is working for me anyways! xD

What about older gentlemen that look young?

That's my problem. My bizarrely healthy lifestyle keeps me young, so the ladies that are my age have ZERO interest. The only women that are interested are the younger ones and that makes me uneasy because I have a hard enough time relating to people my age.


But anyway, 16 and 15 is never a big deal. It's probably even legal to fornicate with her because most places have a two year rule where statutory rape will not apply if the participants are within two years of age. But I would check the legal code in your area before you make with the sexy time.

funny thing is I'm 23 and I look 16, so I have no right to judge someone on their looks. It's rather upsetting at the moment. I know I'll be happy when I'm older, but right now it's kind of getting in the way. A mature, older guy doesn't want to be seen walking around with someone that looks under age.

Oh well, to be young.

 

[Trivun]

I think the 'half your age plus seven' rule is a load of bull. That shouldn't get in the way of two people who love each other, provided they're both of legal age of course and everything is consensual and above board. Otherwise, I see no problem with dating someone younger. My own preferences, however, seem to be more in the realm of people my own age. I say that, I'm actually in a rather odd position at the moment.

Where I work, part-time at a supermarket, (though not for much longer, now I've had a full-time job offer come yesterday ) I work with a few people who are about my age (20-25, I'm 22 myself), and plenty who are slightly younger (17 or 18). And I've found myself torn effectively between two girls, one 23 and one 18, who I really like but can't really decide between. The 23 year old, who works on my section, I did ask out in the end, but she rejected me saying that she didn't want to get involved with anyone from work 'in that way', so fair enough. So instead of asking out the other girl instead, I ended up holding back, in case the girl I asked out changed her mind. She hasn't. We are still friends though, and things aren't exactly awkward between us, so that's a positive. Anyhow, now I'm about to leave within a few weeks or the next month or so I'm unsure if I should try asking out the first girl again after she rejected me the first time, or ask out the other girl instead.

I realise I've completely gone off my main point, which was that one of the girls I like at the moment is younger than me, and I have no problem with people being in relationships with younger or older people, but personally I'm uncertain of my own preferences on the subject.

 

[sunsetspawn]

I am not into younger guys. Not saying they're bad, and Ive dated quite a few, but I find myself more attracted to older gentleman, just my taste. I am 23 and have dated those that are 20, up to 35. Single now so apparently none of the above is working for me anyways! xD

What about older gentlemen that look young?

That's my problem. My bizarrely healthy lifestyle keeps me young, so the ladies that are my age have ZERO interest. The only women that are interested are the younger ones and that makes me uneasy because I have a hard enough time relating to people my age.

funny thing is I'm 23 and I look 16, so I have no right to judge someone on their looks. It's rather upsetting at the moment. I know I'll be happy when I'm older, but right now it's kind of getting in the way. A mature, older guy doesn't want to be seen walking around with someone that looks under age.

Nonsense, a truly "mature" gentleman would also have a mature sense of humor. So if anything he would date you AND encourage you to walk around with a Dora the Explorer doll and an over-sized lolly pop.

 

[Kaytastrophe]

My girlfriend is three years older than me, so I clearly dont think dating someone younger is a bad thing. My general rule is 3 to 4 years difference but the age difference gap widens as you get older(i.e. a 50 year old can date a 40 year old).

 

[Vegosiux]

Half your age plus 7 has always worked for me.

So...a 50 year old person shouldn't hook up with anyone younger than 32? That "rule" just breaks down at some point (and it most definitely breaks down the moment "half plus 7" is equal to or greater than the age of consent). There's no "real" reasoning behind it, someone made it up and it stuck. For some reason.

Okay, getting off the rant train, thing is, in a relationship, one of the people will most certainly be younger. And once the legal age of consent is reached, everything is fair game between consenting adults. It's in the teen years of puberty and confusion that these problems seem rather...overwhelming. That, and when you get older the years seem to just whizz by, and you feel the same at 32 as you did at 31, while there's likely been much more of a difference between 15 and 16...

 

[Zeren]

My girlfriend is 4 years younger than I am. I'm 24 and she is 20. My mom and dad had the same age gap, my mom being 4 years older. The older you get, the less age gaps tend to matter.

 

[mitchell271]

Dude. It's one year. Get over it.

 

[IronFrog]

I once dated someone around seven years younger than myself. It felt like babysitting and I don't really recommend it. I find that as long as your level of maturity is similar then it shouldn't be a problem, especially if it's only a year or two, but when you start getting close to the double digit differences that maturity gap turns into more of a chasm and makes things a little awkward or irritating at times.

 

[Zantos]

Half your age plus 7 has always worked for me.

So...a 50 year old person shouldn't hook up with anyone younger than 32? That "rule" just breaks down at some point (and it most definitely breaks down the moment "half plus 7" is equal to or greater than the age of consent). There's no "real" reasoning behind it, someone made it up and it stuck. For some reason.

Obviously it doesn't hold for all age ranges, and had this been an advice thread on what the OP should do in some difficult situation I'd be more constructive. However since the legality issue had already been considered, I didn't really see the point in that, so just put the half age plus seven rule before someone else did. If a fifty year old can get in with someone in their twenties, then props to them, and I hope I can do that at their age.

 

[Vegosiux]

Half your age plus 7 has always worked for me.

So...a 50 year old person shouldn't hook up with anyone younger than 32? That "rule" just breaks down at some point (and it most definitely breaks down the moment "half plus 7" is equal to or greater than the age of consent). There's no "real" reasoning behind it, someone made it up and it stuck. For some reason.

Obviously it doesn't hold for all age ranges, and had this been an advice thread on what the OP should do in some difficult situation I'd be more constructive. However since the legality issue had already been considered, I didn't really see the point in that, so just put the half age plus seven rule before someone else did. If a fifty year old can get in with someone in their twenties, then props to them, and I hope I can do that at their age.

Yeah, I getcha. I think at this point I'll simply agree that it's a case of Whatever Works? and leave it at that. It can still be a pet peeve of mine, but if it works for people and helps them have less complicated lives, more power to them.

 

[Zantos]

Half your age plus 7 has always worked for me.

So...a 50 year old person shouldn't hook up with anyone younger than 32? That "rule" just breaks down at some point (and it most definitely breaks down the moment "half plus 7" is equal to or greater than the age of consent). There's no "real" reasoning behind it, someone made it up and it stuck. For some reason.

Obviously it doesn't hold for all age ranges, and had this been an advice thread on what the OP should do in some difficult situation I'd be more constructive. However since the legality issue had already been considered, I didn't really see the point in that, so just put the half age plus seven rule before someone else did. If a fifty year old can get in with someone in their twenties, then props to them, and I hope I can do that at their age.

Yeah, I getcha. I think at this point I'll simply agree that it's a case of Whatever Works? and leave it at that. It can still be a pet peeve of mine, but if it works for people and helps them have less complicated lives, more power to them.

That was so much more pleasant than it could have been. I was expecting you to call me nasty names. I think I might have been directly exposed to the internet for too long.

 

[Giftfromme]

My girlfriend is younger than I am. She is legal and we are deeply in love. I see nothing wrong with this.

I am also deeply in love with my 15 year old g/f. I am 25

 

[Something Amyss]

I like to date people around the same age as me. Boyfriend is only a month older, and my only other ex was 6months younger than me.
Then again, that's just how it turned out, if boyfriend had been a bit older I still would have gone for it, and younger. It depends on the person and how mature they are but I'd stick within a few years because otherwise... it gets weird.

My girlfriend is several years younger than me. The only "weird" part of it is how blown my mind gets when I think about the cultural gap.

Like, did you know there was a time before the Simpsons?

God, I feel old.!

 

[Leon Last Lord Shyle]

funny thing is I'm 23 and I look 16, so I have no right to judge someone on their looks. It's rather upsetting at the moment. I know I'll be happy when I'm older, but right now it's kind of getting in the way. A mature, older guy doesn't want to be seen walking around with someone that looks under age.

Oh well, to be young.

Ditto here 22 years old got offered a child's ticket on the bus yesterday, confusing considering my height, just that much of a baby face I guess helpful considering I have just gone back to college I don't stand out at all from looking older and the fact that there are 16-17 year olds flirting with me a strange amount seems non-comment.

 

[Strazdas]

Half your age plus 7 has always worked for me.

So...a 50 year old person shouldn't hook up with anyone younger than 32? That "rule" just breaks down at some point (and it most definitely breaks down the moment "half plus 7" is equal to or greater than the age of consent). There's no "real" reasoning behind it, someone made it up and it stuck. For some reason.

Obviously it doesn't hold for all age ranges, and had this been an advice thread on what the OP should do in some difficult situation I'd be more constructive. However since the legality issue had already been considered, I didn't really see the point in that, so just put the half age plus seven rule before someone else did. If a fifty year old can get in with someone in their twenties, then props to them, and I hope I can do that at their age.

so basically since everything has been said you put up a nonesensical rule jtu to fuck with everybody... because..... well you had to write soemthing?

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

I am not into younger guys. Not saying they're bad, and Ive dated quite a few, but I find myself more attracted to older gentleman, just my taste. I am 23 and have dated those that are 20, up to 35. Single now so apparently none of the above is working for me anyways! xD

But yeah, different people have different tastes. A year younger? Pfft. Though I love how when you're in a high school, its interested to date someone a year or two older or younger, however in your 20's it seems to be fairly normal and very acceptable to date someone 5 years and older then yourself (or younger). At least in my area.

I don't blame you, my wife is a few years older than me I don't know how the hell she put up with my maturity for those first few years.

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I personally don't have an issue dating anyone from any age (within reasonable legalities) but you have to take them for everything they have. Yes, they are young and perky, but they are also immature, inexperienced, and probably wont be able to pull their weight financially. With older people they have more experience, more patience, and a better grasp on how life works, but they probably wont be going to any binge drinking parties and frown that you want to go.

Personally I like older women, I've dated younger and they give me a headache. I like a woman who knows who she is, where she wants to be, and is realistic in how things work. Plus, when she teaching me something knew its one of the most attractive things in the world to me.