Can dating a younger man work?

Dating can be such a fun world to explore.  You can get to know so many interesting people and various personalities, ages, cultures, etc.  When dating, it is important to think through your own values of what you are okay with and what you are not.  As you do that, you should also consider what ages you are okay with dating and if there are any ages that you are not okay with.  Try to consider your own values and think about the influences of those values to make sure you live out the values that are true to you.  For example, if your society tends to frown around dating someone younger, that might influence your own values.  Try to make sure and own if you want to live by society’s values or your own values because there is no wrong answer with that, but important to be authentic and genuine. 

On this subject, people often bring up the idea that age is just a number or not.  Age is just a number at face value, but we often associate certain life milestones and changes with different ages.  For example, if you feel like you personally grew a lot when you attended university, you will likely naturally place that expectation on others. It is important to think more in-depth about a person’s qualities rather than the expectations around a certain age.  Try to keep in mind what you feel like maturity looks like to you rather than placing an age on maturity. 

If you are going to date someone, it is important to consider the life stages you are each in.  For example, if you are in a career and the younger person is in school, it will be important to consider the differences in those stages, such as socializing, schedules, finances, etc.  As you do that, try to allow yourself to be realistic and to be cautious about not considering the facts amidst the feelings you have for the person.  Feelings are powerful and definitely deserve some merit but make sure you also consider the facts, so there is a balanced, wise decision.