Do you have any friends who are significantly younger than you?

[MsWalterMitty]

My husband has become friends with someone who is in their early 20s. We are in our mid 40s. She has just finished uni, renting a house with a house mate, single and looking for jobs.

DH and I have 2 kids, a house and well established careers.

Just mentioning this to point out that we are at different phases of our lives.

My husband met her through a hobby, so they haven't socialised out side of this. But there's arrangements for us all to get together for drinks/dinner/days out... basically socialising.

I've not met her yet, but she seems lovely, but part of me is thinking is this wierd? Or am I being stupid?

Thanks!

@SpringSparrow

I have friends who are 15 to 30 years older but we are all female, and have met through hobbies. What is the shared hobby here?

Climbing... see above post. I quoted wrong

I'm 52.. my friends range in age from 20s to 70s.. both male and female

I have friends of all ages, including someone 30 years younger than me.

I'm in my 50s. Most of my friends are in their 20s and 30s
Because of the work I do and the hobbies I have I suppose
I've never really thought about it.

I have a friend whose girlfriend was early 20s (we are 40s) and joined in a lot with our group of friends

Honestly it was awkward and a bit like spending time with a friend's teenage child

That said, she wasn't our friend, she was his girlfriend. We work in the same field but very different stages (also made it awkward even though no one was anyone's boss or anything)

I would think it will be ok if you socialise around the shared interest but going for dinner at her place might highlight the difference in life stage a bit more

I'm 30, I have friends in their 50s (who went to school with my mum, but I have my own closer independent friendships with them) and one of my closest friends is a lad who is 20. People raise eyebrows at that one but it doesn't bother me.

Yes, we do. I have friends 20 years older and friends 30 years younger.
Friends re through a mutual, shared activity or experience, not through age. Obviously some people's shared experiences will be with people the same age (I have friends I was at school with, and lots of people have friends they were at University with, so will be the same age, or have friends that they made through having babies at the same time, so the same stage), but it is the shared experience that makes the friendship.

I'm not sure why you think you can't socialise with someone of a different age or stage - I mean, everyone eats out, or has a BBQ or whatever, surely ? If they want to do something that you aren't keen on, then don't go to that event the same as if the friends were your age . Isn't it likely the meet ups will be around climbing anyway though ?

I’m in my mid sixties, and have friends who range from 30 to 87. Two of the 87 year old women regularly thrash me at table tennis!
It’s good to have a range of ages, political views and religious beliefs in your friendship group, otherwise you can get stuck in a rut.

I'm 52 I have a friend of 22

I think you'd like to meet them too. Joint night out.

I have a friend who’s the same age as my mum, tbf I don’t really think about her age too much, she’s fun, gets my unorthadox banter so suits be fine...

I am 58 and I have friends that are 37,45 and 50. I also have one who is 71.

I have friends 15 years younger and 40 years older than me. I don’t think it’s an issue at all.

I don’t but my DP’s 2 closest friends are in their early to mid 30’s. He’s 50. They’re at totally different stages on life to us, one single, one doing the toddler thing where are we both have teenagers. But they’re incredibly close and have a brilliant friendship

@MsWalterMitty it shouldn’t be a worry, as other PPs have said, everyone goes out for dinner etc. I was thinking specifically of a birthday party a few years ago where I remember the younger ones being confused that it started at 7pm and wound up by midnight, when their usual night out began at 10pm and carried on until the small hours

It’s a bit boring to only hang out with people at the same age and stage. Many people’s closest friendships are like that due to meeting at school or university - once you branch out into work, hobbies and general life, meeting a wider mix of people is what makes life interesting!

I've got one close friend who is nearly 30 years younger than I am and another who is a bit over 20 years older.

I bet she's good looking

And, they'll have the same taste in music

I own a restaurant and all my staff are low 20s and I'm 40. They're now my friends and we socialise. Not weird

Yes, I’m 30 and have a good friend who is 82

I'm in my 40's. Out of my 4 closest friends, one is in their early 30's, one is late 40's and one is in their 50's. In my wider circle of friends, the youngest is mid20's and oldest is mid70's. Other than school, I've made good friends through jobs/ hobbies/church/my children, this has resulted in a having friends of vastly different ages.

Whoops read the title as older or younger I’m the younger one

Not RTFT.

I'm nearly 50. Youngest friends are blokes aged 27 and 30.

I have friends of different ages, when you meet people at work or at a hobby I think it's normal.

Having said that, I've noticed that at these hobbies, the men aged 30-50 do usually "just happen" to become friends with the attractive women in her 20s. Now I don't think they are cheating, or wanting to, or even thinking of it, but obviously part of the fun of being friends is looking at a young attractive women. So I do slightly cringe at this.

Which is why you would never read a thread on this happening the other way around. A young man would never meet a 40/50s age women at a hobby and "become friends" with her to the level of casually texting and hanging out outside the hobby.

I am 59 and have good friends of all ages. One friend in particular is the same age as my children and we are close. I know she sees me as a mentor as well as a friend and that is fine.

I don't use age as a condition of friendship.

It is perfectly fine.