There's a video out with a young Woman in her late 20's early 30's, telling Women who want a stable Man who's not skirt chasing, and is focused,to find themselves an older man,so it is possible some young thing may find you,someday.

I've never been able to emotionally connect with guys my age or younger.

I've ALWAYS liked older guys and I've never had a problem understanding where they come from, their interests, etc. I genuinely connect more with them and I'm genuinely more attracted to older men.

It usually makes a difference but I think it depends more on the individual people whether it actually will in any given relationship. Sometimes two people fit despite age difference.

I always prefer a partner who is around 20 years older (or even older than that). My SO is 25 years older and we have been together 21 years. I'm a little uncomfortable with people around my own age, and a whole lot more uncomfortable with those much younger. Just like any relationship, mine isn't perfect all the time but we've managed for over 20 years. There are definitely age-related issues that rise up once in awhile or may be more often than I would like. But then, there are issues to deal with in any relationship of couples of any age.

I say it largely depends on what u want out of the relationship. Im 39 and i tend to be more attracted to older women. The last i was with was 55. And the sex was great but there was very little substance beyond that. No common interests, different views of life and the world, she often times talked to me like i was one of her kids which i took offense to. But at same time with the right 2 ppl i think those obstacles could be overcome or may not exist. So i would say yes it matters, generally but there could be exceptions depending on the ppl and circumstance.

I once thought it made no difference, but as I got older, I found out it does...mostly lifestyle and experience sharing...and for each time I say that, there is always an exception or two...

In theory it should not matter -- as they say, "age is just a number".

In reality, there are enough obstacles to a successful long term relationship without putting large age differences into the mix. There are downsides:

1. In general, even if the younger person is mature beyond their years (and that's actually pretty rare), they have far less experience and there tends to be a power imbalance as the older person will generally have more status and financial and social capital.

2. Sometimes the role of S.O. / lover becomes muddied with the role of mentor / mentee, parent / child, Svengali / prodigy. In the long run no good will necessarily come of this, and quite possibly, a lot of bad. Mixing roles often results in unforeseen problems. It's one of the reasons I'm not particularly in favor of home schooling, there you are mixing the role of parent and teacher, so the kid can play you both ways. It's no different with mixing the role of lover / parent or lover / mentor, etc.

3. As you suggest in your post, it's weird if your partner is in the same age range as one or more of your children, even if those children are independent adults. I think my daughter would be creeped out if I were with someone her age (40) and I'm not so sure that she shouldn't be. It cuts the other way, too. My daughter's husband is in his early 50s, only about 10 years younger than me. What do you call someone like that ... son?? He's a son-in-law but ... not really a son. Of course a 40 year old man would also be fully an adult, but still ... it's a bit awkward for us both.

This problem also extends to mutual friendships. If half of each partner's friends find the age difference uncomfortable, then it's going to amplify the usual falling away of friends when one leaves the single world. Not necessarily a big problem in and of itself, but something to consider; you both may lose much more of your social support system than you already would.

4. Even if the age difference is not a perceived problem now, say the guy is a young-looking 50 and the gal 30 ... when the guy starts slowing down at 60 that may become a problem if the gal is high-energy, for instance. Or the 20 year age difference may almost guarantee the younger partner is going to have an extra 10 or 20 years of the caregiver role if the older partner's health doesn't hold up.

5. A significantly older partner is almost surely going to leave the younger one widowed at some point (or in some ways worse, become a total burden through senility / dementia or stroke or whatever). Is this fair? Yes and no. Depends to an extent on whether it's been substantively discussed and planned for.

On the other hand, most of the above can apply to a hypothetical couple of the same age, where there's a big difference in personal development and maturity between them. It will just be less apparent to the outside world as the age difference won't be there.

So there's no right answer, but I personally would only be open to age-appropriate relationships, so we can enjoy our lumbago together

It is up to the individuals involved. Your heart wants what it wants. If both hearts want the same thing go for it. Most everyone here is single because things just didn't work out like we had hoped. If someone is looking for the perfect situation, they will probably stay single, because perfect rarely exists in life, and if it does, it doesn't stay that way. It may be cliche, but we really only have the now.

Anyone of legal age is acceptable.

it's moot for me because i am with my guy, but if i were free, i would not let a guy's youth deter me if my age didn't deter him. that being said, compatibility might depend to an extent on cultural compatibility and that could depend on the decades one has experienced, not how many but which ones.

g

I like men about 5 years older than me. Have no idea why ?

Age is of no consequence regarding love. But there are many still, who allow the numbers to dictate their direction - often losing out on a fine match.

For me it's more of a life stage thing. I've found guys int their 30's are more likely to be a) pursuing pie-in-the-sky dreams, and/or b) wanting, or uncertain about wanting, children. I want to bw with someone more realistic about their efforts and expected goal-achievments. I also don't want to fall for a guy and have him later decide babies are a hill he wants to die on.