Until the end of last year, I was in a relationship with a significantly younger man for a year and a half. I’m 38. He’s 25. I and my ex-husband divorced 4 years ago. I met my ex-partner at a bookstore. We shared the same tastes in literature, and that served as a springboard of what was to come. He has the maturity of someone 10 years his senior. In the beginning of our relationship, I didn’t really ponder the bigger picture. I was just swept up in the euphoria and excitement of the moment.
But towards the end I was far more pragmatic. His family gave him stick for going out “with an old woman” and he did say he wanted children one day – I’m way beyond that now. I still love him. Immensely. But with the age difference, I just don’t see a real future between us. He’s very young; has his entire life ahead of him. I’m middle aged. He has called and texted, proclaiming he doesn’t care about the age difference It’s difficult to resist, but in my mind, resist I must. I feel like if I cave in and get back with him, I’ll be holding him back in the future. He certainly doesn’t see it like that but I do. Right now he’s in Germany (he’s half-German/half South African but lives in the UK) and he says when he comes back he wants us to meet and talk.