Opinions on dating somebody half your age?

[Purplebuntingg]

E.g- 24 year old woman and 50 year old man. Opinions needed

Would you? Is it a bad idea? Any thoughts welcome.

I wouldn’t but I don’t care what others do as long as they are adults

Happens all the time in the rock and pop world. Never understood how it was okay for an aging superstar could date a twenty seven year old, but not Joe Bloggs from the bookies.

The couple would get looks, and many people may assume the older person is a parent to the younger person. They’ll also have differences in life experience, music tastes, cultural references (eg. Kids programmes watched growing up etc).

I think the woman is making a huge mistake, especially if she wants children. Just my opinion, but ultimately I don't care. Not my problem.

Not an issue or anyone else's business.

What are your thoughts about it, OP?

So much would be imbalanced in my opinion. Friend groups could be awkward. When she is 34, he will be sixty. I would have found it hard to accept my daughter with a partner as old as her dad. I would question why she felt attracted to someone so old and vice versa

Is this the same poster who posts this question regularly? I don’t know what you expect to get out of asking here over and over. There will be a variety of answers, as there are every time.

All depends on the context

Can't imagine I'd have much in common with someone that was half my age - but each to their own.

Age is just a number... depends on the personality and life experience of those involved. On paper it sounds wrong, and I imagine not that many relationships like that do work long term but some do. I'm in one myself! 20 years so far.. We were 29 and 54 when we got together. Works for us, and we have one child together and an older one each from other relationships.

I think its creepy and most of the time its older men with much younger women. Its just gross. Im pretty youngish and I have ZERO interest in some old fart.

One Nephew of mine at 42 married 21 yr old, but she is exceptionally mature, and can drink a pint as fast as him, they are well matched and she wears the trousers, nice girl.

I think it really depends on the age of the younger person in the relationship.

For example, an 18 year old and a 30 year old is pretty gross in my opinion. But a 40 year old with 52 year old is absolutely fine 🤷🏻‍♀️ yet it's the same age gap.

It's about life experience, power imbalance etc. Plus I just can't comprehend finding someone half my age attractive, they'd be just about legal, but they're like children to me.
So I would always be wary of a mature adult being attracted to someone barely out of childhood.. It's just a bit disturbing.

Are you the poster whose middle aged partner is an abusive, controlling arse?

I wouldn't have been remotely attracted to a fifty year old at twenty-four but I suppose we'r eall different.

Think carefully about the long-term though. There's a good chance of early widowhood.

Its just such a typical patriarchy serving thing that it really pees me off.
Men are NOT more attractive with age, quite the contrary, they just love to tell themselves that, they are deluded. Its sad that some women still feed into this BS. But thankfully its changing now that women can make their own money.

It makes me think that the younger person was missing a strong parental role model and/or would benefit from some counselling.

I used to think it was ok and then I tried it, and it was a disaster. We were at completely different stages of life and had completely different cultural references. I got fed up with him being scathing about me not knowing some obscure guitarist from the 70s and he was equally scathing about my preferences. But it was a friend who married an older man who almost immediately retired, put his feet up and refused to do anything much else that really put me off. She aged so quickly and her life changed, and not in a good way. I didn't want that to happen to me, and I could see me still working hard while my ex sat with his feet up or went on solo holidays, secure in the knowledge that I would be there to nurse him when the time came. He's still single after multiple similar relationships ended after me OP, so if you're keen...

None of my business what two consenting adults do.

I couldn’t be with a much younger man. I work with people 20 years younger than me and it’s a completely different world. I don’t know the bands they talk about, I’m not interested in anything that they are interested in, I’d be frustrated at the lack of life experience, travel, etc compared to mine. What would we find to talk about?

My starting assumption is that there is something else going on beyond, “two people met and liked each other.”

Because sure, that happens. But it isn’t just… well, surprising I suppose, just how often it’s the man that’s so much older?

Not my business really but I would be a bit sad if it were o r of my DC's.

Ick. Unhealthy and rarely lasts.

Depends how serious it is.
I wouldn't get serious with someone aged 50 when I was that age (he was 38!) because I wouldn't want to be having kids with someone in their mid 50s plus

“exceptionally mature, and can drink a pint as fast as him”

yeah, sounds it 🤣

Would I do anything about it, or involve myself in the situation in any way? No.

Would I think less of both parties, but mostly the older one? Yes.