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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Embarrassed by our age gap

31 replies

Nomum1980 · 24/12/2023 21:57

Me and my DH have been together over 20 years and married for 12 , we have a happy marriage and have overcome a lot at the start of our relationship due to the age gap ( DH is 20 years older) we encountered unkind comments and people who I thought were friends basically wanted nothing to do with us but I accepted that was peoples opinion and just got on with things.

Recently I have started a new job and it’s a small team of people, when we were discussing relationships etc and a Co worker was asking about my husband I found myself lying about his age, this is something that I have never done before and I feel really ashamed of myself for doing it but I just didn’t feel comfortable discussing it, what I did has made me think that perhaps now I am starting to feel the age gap more than I realised , I do sometimes feel a bit jealous of couples who are similar age and have a family, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I would never be a mum and I do accept that but recently I just feel a bit different about things, sorry for the rant i dont have anyone to confide in.

OP posts:
Schoolrefusa · 24/12/2023 22:02

Oh that sounds such a shame - as if you didn't have that age gap you wouldn't have your DH and it sounds like you've managed a long time together and I hope happily so . That would be what I would notice and feel positive about especially you being married too, as not all relationships do so well and it encourages me when they do !
My lovely aunt and uncle have a big age gap too and I've never thought twice about it nor notice it and they seem the best marriage I know

NicholJO · 24/12/2023 22:50

Op I understand to an extent my first partner was 17 years older then me I split with him 10 years ago but I still cringe if the age cap get brought up it didn't bother me for about the first 10 years I was with him but the last 7 we was together I lied about his age

MagnoliatheMagnificent · 24/12/2023 22:58

People love to judge but you've been together a long time, presumably mostly happy. Be honest, be proud!
I do understand, my dh is 27 years older then me. We had a lot of 'that won't last' in the early days but we too have been together now about 20 years. Stuff what other people think, if you're both happy then that's what counts.

AtrociousCircumstance · 24/12/2023 22:59

How old are you OP?

SkaneTos · 24/12/2023 23:00

Never mind what anyone says or thinks!
You are married to the love of your life!
You are spending the rest of your life with him!
Lucky you!

warmfluffsandpuffs · 24/12/2023 23:10

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at OP's request

spookehtooth · 24/12/2023 23:40

Is it the age gap itself that bothers you or wary of people reacting similar to the friends who desserted you? They feel like two very different things. I'm wondering if you're just trying to avoid judgemental people, and just feeling bad about doing so rather than the gap itself and the effect on the relationship

Opentooffers · 24/12/2023 23:50

Why would a 20 year age gap ever have prevented you from having DC's? The answer is, it wouldn't, especially not when you were 20 years younger. You didn't ' come to terms' with it because of the gap, he just didn't want them ( perhaps as had been there, done that) Really not fair of him to have been more flexible, given that he's older, he should of been mature enough to have seen that need coming.
Too old for DC's now, or were you ridiculously young when you me so still could have a chance with someone else?

HamBone · 24/12/2023 23:59

@warmfluffsandpuffs I don’t think it’s necessarily related to other people being unhappy themselves or even small-minded. They find the fact that one partner is old enough to be the other’s parent unsettling, that’s all.

Pinkbonbon · 25/12/2023 00:00

Just pointing out that although fostering and adopting is not for everyone, theres no reason you couldn't consider these things if you'd like to be a mum or to have children in your life.

There are lots of kids out there without families who would love to have a mother, irregardless if her age.

FPCculture · 25/12/2023 00:04

I do hope those that are okay with age gap etc or ask questions here do read the bit you mentioned "I may stay to now feel the age gap".

This is reality, I can't imagine being 50 and my wife is 70

Neitheronethingnortheother · 25/12/2023 00:06

Pinkbonbon · 25/12/2023 00:00

Just pointing out that although fostering and adopting is not for everyone, theres no reason you couldn't consider these things if you'd like to be a mum or to have children in your life.

There are lots of kids out there without families who would love to have a mother, irregardless if her age.

Theres no reason anyone who wants kids couldn't consider adoption or fostering

But for some reason it's only people who can't have kids who are reminded of this by many people who just can't help themselves from "helpfully" pointing it out as if the person who can't have kids would never have thought of it otherwise...

MMmomDD · 25/12/2023 00:07

OP - why did your H’s age mean you could’t have kids? Presumably you were in your 20s and he in his 40s?

When you got together - I am sure the judgements were not directed at you. And it wasn’t because they were jealous.

But obviously a man in his 40s going after a much younger woman raises eyebrows.
We all remember being barely legal and being ogled by old(er) men…

Age gap relationships can work, of course. But there does come an age where they don’t work as well as a closer-age relationship would. It is not a judgement, its just a fact.
Sorry i don’t have any ideas about how to deal with it. But also - i don’t think you need to feel bad if this is how you feel.

You get one life.

Burntouted · 25/12/2023 02:40

How old are you op?

Did the age gap bother you when first started dating, or did you think it was cool for an older guy to be interested in you, and if there were other people gossiping and giving attention to your relationship, did you like the attention??

Were there no discussions about you wanting a family prior to marriage??

I am sorry that you are going through this.

It sounds like you are embarrassed by your relationship, him, or both and just really want to fit in with those around you and be accepted.

Also, perhaps there is guilt, regret insecurities, and shame within your self.

It doesn't sound like a happy marriage. Now you're feeling the need to lie about things and your partner whom you've spent 20 years with.

Perhaps you've always been miserable and bothered by things ..masking it..but now you realize the depth of your misery.

Chances are he is settled and content in his life, and wants no children.

If you want children and a close in age relationship, you're going to have to leave him..and find someone else.

Perhaps this relationship has run its course, and isn't meant to last the remainder of your life.

It isn't too late to have the family you desire, unless you are planning on remaining with your husband.

If you are truly unhappy, you should consider leaving..let your husband find someone he is compatible with who isn't ashamed of him and the relationship.

The both of you may be more suited for different partners now at this stage of
life.

Don't remain unhappy.

If you remain, don't lie about your relationship and spouse anymore. I would also make sure that he never comes across this post.

If you stay, don't let the desire of a family become to the point where you're set on making him a father. It won't go well for you.

FamilyRestful · 25/12/2023 07:19

I think this is about you op, realising what a mistake it had been to be with someone SO much older, all the wasted youth and as you are coming up to the age he was when he met you, you probably feel how could I want to be with someone that age it's creepy.
Perhaps you are mourning all the missed opportunities to grow older with someone on equal footing. Maybe you now look back and realise when you got together you weren't in the best place to see the dysfunctional dynamics. It's ok to leave him now if you want to.

SquashPenguin · 25/12/2023 07:24

Pinkbonbon · 25/12/2023 00:00

Just pointing out that although fostering and adopting is not for everyone, theres no reason you couldn't consider these things if you'd like to be a mum or to have children in your life.

There are lots of kids out there without families who would love to have a mother, irregardless if her age.

There’s always one 🤦🏻‍♀️

Sunsetboater · 25/12/2023 08:17

Well, there's still a lot of life you have yet to live and, as I've been exactly where you are right now I would highly recommend you leaving now. Don't do as I did and keep making excuses to stay. Do not feel guilty for leaving him just because he's an old guy now, don't feel selfish for wanting to live your own life and definitely do not go back once you've made that decision.
Good luck.

muddyford · 25/12/2023 08:23

DH is 21 years older than me. I was in my 30s when we met. Married for nearly 30 years and I have never lied about him. I didn't want children though.

Nomum1980 · 25/12/2023 11:26

I’m 44

OP posts:
ClareBlue · 25/12/2023 11:57

So you were 23 when you met and started a serious relationship with a 44 year old and now you are his age when you met him and are having doubts about letting your work colleagues know your partner is 64.
Do you think it is the age you are now being the same as he was when you met him that is making you think like this. Is your current work environment making you particularly reflective of what could of been through your young life.
You can start a new life no problem if that's what you want. After all he dated a 23 year old at your age so you every option is open to you. As a PP says, don't feel bad about leaving an old man. He had no issue with being with you through your young life and not having children.

Nomum1980 · 25/12/2023 11:58

It’s a sad situation and the thought of leaving breaks my heart 💔 but also I can’t live a lie it’s not fair on him and he doesn’t deserve that, I just feel at the moment I’m constantly thinking about how much different my life would of been if I hadn’t met him and perhaps married someone of similar age had a family etc

OP posts:
Notsurehwhattdo · 25/12/2023 12:00

The only person I knew where there was a significant age gap like that left him when he turned 70 and she was only 49. She could see what the next 15 years would probably entail and it terrified her.

FamilyRestful · 25/12/2023 12:43

The thing is even people with no or very small age gaps can grow apart and wonder what if. It happens for any reason, age gap is probably not the only issue in your marriage. Just try and focus on the future now and take steps towards it. I would try and think of any good things you got out of this relationship to keep a fair view and not get sucked in and depressed about it all, there must have been something good, at least I hope. People divorce at all ages.

MmedeGouge · 25/12/2023 12:51

This happened with a friend of mine.
She married a very handsome, very successful man who was a celebrity in his own field.
She was early twenties he was 20 years older.
They seemed very happily married until he reached his mid sixties.
He became seriously ill and quite a shambolic character after she left him. She got married again, not very happily, but she did start to help him towards the end of his life.
I used to meet him for dog walks and it was sad to see what he had become.
He had always been such a glamorous and successful man.
I wish they had both made different choices when they first met.
It’s no help to you.
Good men are hard to come by though!

MidnightMeltdown · 01/01/2024 12:04

This is tricky. The problem is that a lot of men 'peak' in their 40s. Not all, but the ones who stay physically fit, have good careers, and develop wisdom. This makes them attractive to younger women.

However, once the women reaches her 40s and the man is in his late 50s or early 60s, looks and energy are fading fast, and the woman still wants a man in his 40s

I hate to say that it serves them right, but it's the price that men often pay for chasing younger women. Eventually the tables turn.

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