To think a friendship with such a large age gap at this age is odd

[User700800]

My 16 year old god daughter has recently started a part time job in retail. She's become friends with a young woman who works there who's 22 and they are now spending a lot of time together. I myself have friends quite a bit younger or older than me. I just think at this age the difference is surely too great?

They're colleagues and they're both young, I can't see why you're even thinking about it.

I thought you were going to say the friend was in her 60's or something and even then I was going to say it was fine!!! What exactly do you think the problem is?!

It's fine.

I work in retail. I'm 44. I have a 23 year old friend there, we've been out for drinks before, and text sometimes.

So what?

Eh??
6 years is too great an age difference for a friendship? Don't be silly.

That's not odd at all

Not really. At 16 she is on the cusp of adulthood so pretty normal to be mixing with other young adults.

Why are you concerned? Is there a reason you think the older woman is a bad influence?

I can’t see how this is in any way odd.

When I was 17 my best friend was a 32 year old man. We’re still best friends now 10 years later!

At 17 I met one of my closest friends who was 29, at 19 I met one of my other closest friends who was 31.

I’m now 30 and they’re both still 2 of my closest friends. I don’t get walnuts so weird!

That is by no means a large gap for that age group. It’s weird that you think it is. Did you only have friends the same age as you when you were at school/college?

Why di you find it odd?

Not an issue at all. When I was 18 working in retail I struck up a friendship with a 38 year old colleague who actually went to school with my mum. She was my closest friend for about 4 years. We are still good friends now almost ten years later!

Well... my Reception age kid has friends in Year 6. Is that odd?

Why is it too great? What an odd thing to think!

My best friend at work is 19, I'm in my early 30. We're both female, just for the record. Based on what you've posed I guess better turn myself into the police.

What? No, of course it's not odd.
One of my good friends is 10 years older than me and we've been friends since i was 18.

Sounds fine. My best friend is 25 years older than me, doesn’t seem to matter to us as our personalities just click.

My bezzie at work is just 30, I'm nearly 63.

We hit it off the minute she walked through the door 9 years ago, and have been great mates ever since.

She does sometimes call me gran though, which is a bit uncalled for.

When I was 25 and worked in retail I was really friendly with a 16yo schoolgirl who worked there part-time. Nothing odd about it and I have always been a reliable (boring) type.

My bezzie at work is just 30, I'm nearly 63.

We hit it off the minute she walked through the door 9 years ago, and have been great mates ever since.

She does sometimes call me gran though, which is a bit uncalled for.

I Find it odd because I matured a lot at that age and was a lot different from how I was at 16. I just don't understand how it's possible for them to relate to each other. As I've said I have friends that are a lot younger or older than myself but it's different once both people are adults and have more life experience etc.

When I was 25 and worked in retail I was really friendly with a 16yo schoolgirl who worked there part-time. Nothing odd about it and I have always been a reliable (boring) type.

I met a woman who was 44 when I wasn’t 21 through work and she is a good friend of mine now! I often talk to her about things. We go for lunch etc

I have a friends who are 15 years older than me, shock horror. They are work colleagues, they get on, so what!

They relate to each other because they do the same job, probably shop in the same shops, like the same music, watch the same TV shows, go to the same festivals, have mutual friends.