Thursday, March 28, 2024

Age is just a number

July 16, 2014
	<p>Cayden Royce</p>

Cayden Royce

My dad tells me I need to date someone my own age if I bring home a guy outside my grade.

But why?

My parents have been married for 26 years and are two years apart.

My sister’s boyfriend is five years her senior, and that seems to be working for her.

My best friend has been dating a guy three years older than her for almost seven years.

From the relationships I see all around me, it doesn’t seem to really matter how old your significant other is.

When you’re dating someone, you shouldn’t be trying to find the perfect age gap, or lack thereof, between you and the other person. You should be focused on being with someone who has the same maturity level as you do.

When a budding relationship starts to get serious, you need to ask yourself whether you could see yourself being with this person long-term or not.

Ask yourself if you want to stay with someone who acts like he’s in high school and makes you laugh, or if you would be better off pursuing a friend who has ambition and wants to start his own company.

Something to take into consideration is that a younger person might not have experienced the same things you have.

This especially becomes a factor when dating someone still in high school — cue the post-high school graduation break-up.

Certain obstacles come with dating someone older or younger, even with just a couple of years in between, while you’re still in school, as underclassmen and upperclassmen have significantly different maturity levels.

A freshman or sophomore in college is still trying to find themselves and where they fit in society, but a senior has a better idea of what goals they’re trying to reach (or should) and is considering what married life and life after college will be like.

Dating someone who doesn’t share the same goals as you do can be detrimental to your relationship.

In the end, you find what works best for you, but worrying about how old someone is shouldn’t play a factor in deciding whether you want to date them or not.

The media typically glorifies younger as better.

Someone might be the person of your dreams, but you could struggle with the thought that they will go through certain events at different stages than you.

However, if nothing puts a bigger smile on your face than thinking or talking about someone, their age shouldn’t matter.

If a girl dates someone younger, she is labeled a “cougar,” but if he makes you happy and is looking for the same things you are, my advice is go for it — but don’t go for any eighth-graders.

If a guy dates someone younger than him, he might be considered creepy, but as long as it’s a happy, healthy relationship, there isn’t a problem. Don’t pass over someone just because they aren’t within five years of you, no matter what your parents think.

Someone born a few years after you can have a lot to offer. Don’t close any doors without looking through them first. Find somebody you can grow with, no matter the age gap.

The ultimate goal is to find someone who makes you smile, not someone who makes you fit the societal norm of a “perfect couple.”

Cayden Royce is a journalism sophomore. Reach her at roycecay@msu.edu.

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