[BagLadie]

I don't know - only dated men older than me.

[lv-lover]

I have never dated a younger guy, and I'd really prefer not to. Females mature so much sooner than males, it only makes sense to me to date someone of the same age or older.

[keya]

I don't really have an answer to this -I usually date guys in their late 20's to early/mid 30's (I'm 25) and I've experienced intense immaturity even in the 30-something guys with kids, so I'm at a loss. I might as well date a 17-year-old

(not that I would, I'm just sayin' :P)

[maddog]

I'm 27 so this range will change as time goes on, but right now, no younger than a year for me either, and he better be really really mature. Anything younger than that is a kid to me.

Guys my age are immature enough as it is, I probably wouldn't be able to handle anything younger.

[LadyLinda]

Well, my first husband was 14 years older than me. It took me years to realize that he simply had a thing for younger women and as I reached my late thirties, he started in with how I was looking old. But then, he was a jerk, and that more than his age explains the divorce.

I'm now in my fifties and just married a man 9 years my junior. He was in his younger 30s when we met and though we each tried to find more "age appropriate" mates, we never did. We simply hit it off, are great together, have similar interests and educations, and the age difference has never been a problem. In fact, I like his younger outlook and energy and it helps that I have youthful genes and look younger than my age. We discussed the fact I would never be able to give him children at this point (I do have three adult sons), and he's one of those men who doesn't want to deal with offspring, though he's great with my boys.

Age is like height, or ethnicity. We are what we are; we like what we like. There's no right or wrong to it. There are pluses and minuses, as in everything. Not all young guys are wonderful, secure individuals, and not all older guys are wiser or more together.

[KristyDarling]

I'm in my mid-30s and am married, but I have several girlfriends who are single and in their mid to late-30s. Every one of them is dating a younger man! My friend who is 37 is dating a 26-year-old, and she's having the time of her life. She really respects him and says that although his youth shows at times, he's a rather mature man. My closest friend is 34 and she is dating a 29-year-old. She's head over heels!! (although a 5 year difference isn't a big deal...ok, well, unless you're in your early 20s!)

I think that once you're well into your 30s or even 40s, a younger man in his mid to late-20s is certainly not out of the question. It's all about fit and individual personality characteristics, not so much about age. There are tons of immature 45-year-old men out there, and plenty of mature 25-year-olds as well.

[ShimmaPuff]

If you are the Right Ones for each other, then you make each other happy, and that is that. One of the old adages that is heard a lot, is that you are more likely to find that "Right One" if you are not consciously and deliberately looking.

I think that has a lot of truth to it, and one of the reasons is that if we are intentionally "looking," we are just naturally going to be setting up all of these wishlists and criteria, even the most superficial things, like how tall he needs to be, how old he is, etc, and thus without intending to, we are actually setting up barriers to achieving our goal.

True love is a mysterious thing, and when it hits you on the head, it just does, and there is no question about it, no misgivings or insecurities or any of the things that we go through as we are dating and having various kinds of relationships that are teaching us the real lessons about who that Right One will be, lessons we may not even be aware of, but that are much more valuable to us in the long run than those wish lists!

When I finally met Mr Puff, I was almost 40, and he arrived at a time when I frankly had no idea whether I would ever meet that Right One, I was just enjoying myself, enjoying my life, and enjoying the various wrong ones for what they were, and then Whomp! It was instant, but we waited about 5 years to get married, and lived together for a year first.

One thing about differences in chronological age is that they diminish over time. Mr Puff was 27 when we met, which means that there was a time before we met, when any romantic relationship between us would have been unthinkable, and later on, a time when it would have been merely illegal, and then a time when it might have raised some eyebrows, but when we did meet, only one person ever said anything to me about the 12 year gap between our birthdays, and that a joking reference to what was actually a sincere compliment about my own personal appearance, something to the effect that no one would guess I was "robbing the cradle."

This past April, we celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary, and earlier this year, Mr Puff celebrated his 44th birthday, and I am looking forward to turning 56 in August, so our "age difference" becomes more laughable as the years pass.

When I am 90, he will be 78, and I guess if we raise any eyebrows then we will enjoy it immensely!

[chloe777]

My husband is 2 years younger than me. He was 17 when I met him and VERY mature for his age. He is still VERY mature for his age and has a good job and good friends with great outlooks on life. If no one knew his age they would all think that he was 3 years older than what he is.

[artich0ke]

I'm 20 and cannot imagine dating someone younger than me at this time. I always joke about being a cougar when I get older but I guess we'll just have to wait and see :)

My ex was almost 4 years older than me (21 when we first started dating and 22 shortly thereafter) and sometimes I still felt like I was dating a freshman in high school.

My current boyfriend is only a year older than me, but I've known him forever and he's always been mature. I think also that being in the military has forced him to grow up and gain maturity -- I've noticed a huge difference in the past year.

My current boyfriend is the only person I've been with who is my age -- anyone I've casually dated has been at least 4 years older, and even then I felt like we were on the same level maturity-wise. But I'd feel uncomfortable dating anyone over about 25 at this age...

[Regina07]

For me, as I've aged, the men I'm willing to date have gotten younger. at 46, my needs/wants from a fling/relationship are different than at 26. I'm not looking to have children or need financial security so I'm open to any man who 'gets' me, who can keep me mentally stimulated and entertained. So at 43-45, i dated men 27-32 or older.

I figured if a younger man has the courage to ask me out, he definitely gets extra points for being courageous, open-minded, and self-confident!

On the other hand, at 40, I dated a man 15 years older. Other than libido issues, we had a great time together.

[~Fabulousity~]

i'm really enjoying reading the responses.

My soon to be ex-husband is 2 years younger than I. He was my first younger romantic relationship and before him I would never date younger or my age. I always felt older men were more mature and had more to offer. Well fast forward a few years and now that i'm back in the dating game I have met quiet a few men in their late 30's whose behavior is somewhere around that of a 19 year old boy!

My newest romantic interest is 23 which 5 years younger than me and when I found out his age I immediately thought "no way" but after our first meet I saw that he was able to carry a conversation better than some of the men I went out with who were at least 10 years his senior. I guess age really is just a number. Only thing like some of you I dont want more children and this one has none, so were probably not gonna be a good match for anything long term.

[Zophie]

Just enjoy being with him, Fabulosity. If you like him, that's what counts.

I actually used to like guys that were a LOT older than me when I was in my early 20s. A friend of mine used to always tease me by pointing out guys who were about 90 years old and saying they were my future boyfriend. But I then fell head over heels for a guy only 6 years older and that sort of changed my way of thinking.

[lvuittonaddict]

well, im 19(20 this month ) but i am NOT willing to date younger than me. my bf is 6 years older than i am. i guess because i am still pretty immature(i admit it) i need someone older to counteract that.

[HauteMama]

When I was in my mid-20's and looking for a more serious relationship, I almost immediately dismissed my now dh because he was 2-1/2 years younger than I am. Then as I got to know him I realized that he was more stable and mature than I was! We've been married 11 years now, and Shimma is (of course) correct when she says that age differences matter less and less as people get older.

I also find it interesting that - generally speaking - women want men who are older and men want women who are younger. People rarely question why a man would want do date a woman much younger than himself and instead they just raise their eyebrows and smile. No one ever questions how mature the woman is or how she can even hold a conversation with someone from another generation; it is just accepted as the way it is. Yet people think it is scandalous when a woman dates someone many years her junior. The double-standard is really unacceptable to me.

[VPT]

The first time I dated a younger guy was when I was around 27 and he was about 20. I was working for an education agency and he was my "customer". I was taken by surprise when he asked me out, he was cuuuuute very good looking and very entertaining so off I went. Later that night when I told him my age he was momentarily dumbfounded, expressed that he didn't think I was that old. But we went out again a couple more times in the following year and we met again in a club a few years later. He was just a date and never a boyfriend. A couple of years afterwards I had a boyfriend who was 3 yrs younger but that relationship didn't last beyond a year.