Would you judge a 26 year old (mum of 2) who casually sleeps with someone who is 18?

All these posters judging seem to be missing the OP's scenario (even though it's very clearly stated in the thread title). These two people are CASUALLY sleeping together. There's no commitment, no relationship (other than purely physical). For all we know they might not even be exclusive with each other, it's literally just no strings sex.

So what you're actually judging is people having casual sex with each other, because age gap is totally and utterly irrelevant when it's just sex (between consenting adults obviously). Or maybe you're really judging because she's a single mother who has the audacity to have casual sex?

Hope she gets mature quick before she has a job in medicine and has any responsibility over other people then...

But certainly not 18 year old boys.
An 18 year old is an adult, not a boy.

Usually on mumsnet if an adult is referred to as a ' girl' or less often ' a boy' people tend to lose their minds and be outraged as you can't be a boy or girl and an adult!! People get really offended by that.

So at 18 is he an adult or a boy?

Personally, I think if he is 18 and he can fo all the legal stuff he must be an adult. Sure 18 year olds still have some maturing to until the end adolescence at around 25, but 18 is still an adult.

Also you may be "driven by sex" but I'm certainly not. Enjoy it yes. "Driven by it" no..thankfully.

My point is that if it results in a pregnancy then it doesn't just affect them. It affects the existing children too.

@Devonshiregal of course he was in a position of power. She was 19. He was her boss; Irrelevant of the industry, it is weird. She would not have got into a relationship with him if he wasn’t her boss.

You do a lot of growing up between the ages of 19 and your mid thirties. Your brain is not fully developed. I can’t see any logic in anything you’ve written in your post. I’ve got a 21 year old daughter who is at Uni studying at med school and she’s still as immature as hell. I wouldn’t want her to start dating someone in their thirties either. Similarly if I had an older Son and he started dating a teenage girl I wouldn’t like
it either!!

🤣 I thought this was satire at first, but your last sentence suggested that perhaps it isn't. A one year age boundary either way? How's that going to be enforced then?

Yes. Gross.

26 year old women should be having sex with 26 year old men. 27 or 25 year old men at a push. But certainly not 18 year old boys.

Wow so all second hand speculation? Even worse.

Haha my life isn’t that interesting trust me!

Yes.

Blimey DH is three years older than me. What does that make me!

This.

So you don't actually care about the 18 year old's welfare in any other situation then?

That’s a ridiculous comparison. Yes, funnily enough I do think that “mass market advertising by drinks companies aimed at all adults in society including some that happen to be 18” is very different to an individual older adult taking advantage of a specific 18 year old in a sexual manner.

I’d struggle to even consider the drinks companies to be “exploiting” 18 year olds, to be honest. At least, not any more so than any advertising targeted at anyone of any age.

Really? You don’t think encouraging them to drink is exploitation by the drinks industry and grooming them for a life time of consumption?

Because in none of those situations are they probably being exploited or groomed by much older or more experienced people? I don’t really care if they make poor decisions of their own free will, it’s the power imbalance which disgusts me in the situation we’re discussing.

Judge her because of the age, no.

Would I think it was particularly wise, very much no. You can argue that anyone can casually sleep with anyone else if they're adult and consenting but it's something that seems to cause a lot of angst.

Why are we letting them drink, smoke, vote, join the army, work, walk the streets alone without chaperones?

I'd judge anyone who was 26 who slept with an 28 year old. Gender or parental status is irrelevant. Legally they're an adult, but they're likely to be essentially a child in terms of life experience and context with which to make adult decisions.

Being completely, honest I would think she was very messed up, chaotic or emotionally damaged. I wouldn’t cut her out of my life or anything, but I would assume she was extremely troubled and incapable of making good decisions for herself.

If the roles were reversed I would think the older man was predatory, immature, shallow and only saw women as sex objects rather than equals. I would judge him far more.

I know I should feel the same in both scenarios though, and I’m probably cutting this hypothetical older woman (you?) too much slack.

Or their mummies who can't possibly deal with the fact that their little darlings are capable of having and wanting consensual and pleasurable sex with older adults.

No. Not the age gap anyway.

Though an 18 year old taking on someone else’s kids may be a challenge.

That said, there was a bigger age gap between me and partner when we met and we celebrate 30 years of marriage this year. It’s very individual I suppose.

I think if 18 years are still child like its because we as a society infantilise them.

So you're a mind-reader and you know that those 18 year olds you know so well would not handle sex with a 26 year old?