Conference quark::human_relations

"I THINK we could really click on SOME levels, BUT..."

Those are important words you wrote... maybe if your questioning yourself 
now, those differences could hurt the relationship at a later time.  

I, personally, feel that if Mr. Right was to come along, age should not be a 
factor.   

Just my 2 cents.


Diane

    I say, go for it! If it's a matter of worrying what people will think,
    wouldn't you be happier in a relationship with someone you really
    connect with, as it sounds like you do with her, than just conforming
    to what people expect of you? You should probably let her know you're
    a little concerned about it, just to get it out in the open. But I
    would not throw the whole thing out. You'll probably regret it later if
    you do. Just take it a step at a time, and see where things lead. Don't
    think so much in all-or-nothing terms. It will become clearer as you go
    along. I'd say it definitely sounds worth pursuing.
    
    good luck! 
                                                       

    Hey, find out EXACTLY what the age difference is before jumping
    off the bridge.  My son married a woman 6 years older than he
    two year ago.  Their emotional psyches are quite in tune.  They
    will have to be monitored closely when they start the baby process.
    But, hey, that's normal these days.  Statistically, this is a 
    good age gap for male/female pair bonding these days!

    justme

    
    
    	Age isn't a big thing.  At least to me.  After my divorce,
    	I laid low for a while.  Once I decided to get back into
    	the dating scene, I found most of the guys around my age
    	or older (I'm currently 28) to be complete jerks.  They
    	were out for nothing else but a good time.  And when I
    	didn't "fit the bill" I got the old 'I'll call you' and the
    	call never came.  Then I met my fiance (through a Digital
    	notesfile).  We started out at friends, sending mail, having
    	lunch.  Then I invited him to join myself and some other
    	friends up north for Labor Day Weekend '95.  That's when
    	we hooked up.  And he's almost 5 years my junior.  But 
    	emotionally, he's a heckuva lot more mature than the 30
    	year olds I dated!  I resisted the attraction at first
    	because he isn't my usual body type.  I had gone for
    	more athletic builds but my honey is quite thin and 1" 
    	shorter than me.  But his charm, personality and sense
    	of humor won me over.  =)  He is a super guy, treats me
    	very well, loves my cats (and they like him!).  I hadn't
    	dated many guys younger than me, but in this case, it
    	doesn't make a difference at all.  We hardly think about
    	the age gap.  The only time it will really come up is
    	when a song from the 70's comes on that I love and he's
    	never heard it and has no idea who the singer is.   ;)
    
    	Good luck.  Sounds like this may be a relationship worth
    	pursuing.  As suggested before, make your concerns known
    	to her and discuss them with her.  You may find that she
    	has some of the same fears and you can work through them
    	together!
    
    	fJJ
    

    My SO and I have a 12 year age difference (I'm 35, he's 47).
    We've been together about 5 year now, and it hasn't made a
    great deal of difference.  Granted our memories of the
    sixties are a bit different (Him: "That's the year I 
    started college!"  Me:  "That's the year I started
    school!") :-), we have a strong relationship and most
    people don't even notice the difference in ages.  I am
    envious of the the fact that he gets to retire 12 years
    before me :-), and I do wonder about the impact the
    difference will have as we age, but I don't doubt that
    we will find a way to deal with that when it happens, and 
    I guess that confidence is what keeps it from being an 
    issue for us.
    
    When you find the right person, age really doesn't matter.
    
    Mary-Michael