Can age be an impediment to love? There are lots of different opinions over whether a large age gap in a relationship is a problem or not, but at the end of the day, the only people who can make it work are you and your partner. Here are seven ways to stop an age gap in a relationship being a problem.
Share your concerns
Don’t be afraid to voice your concerns. It’s normal to have worries in any relationship and the key to becoming stronger is to communicate. Whether you’re the older or younger half of the relationship, you’re bound to have insecurities. The key is to discuss them and gain reassurance from your partner, instead of letting them build up and eventually ruin the relationship.
Reconcile your career aspirations
You are likely to be at different stages of your career, and this can be a cause of tension in a relationship as it may mean you have different priorities in some areas. Many professionals prefer to date people in similar circumstances for this very reason. However, the important thing is to talk and be understanding of each other’s aspirations.
The older person in the relationship might want to settle down straight away and start a family, while the younger might want more time to travel. Or, the older person may already have children from a previous marriage and so does not want to have anymore. You need to make sure from the outset whether you can compromise or whether you’ll have to sacrifice important things for your partner.
Ignore the negative comments
Obviously, you don’t want to alienate the people who you are close to, but the only people who can judge your relationship are you and your partner. If people close to you are the ones with negative comments, the only way to make them change their minds is by letting them see how happy you are.
When it comes to everyone else just ignore it – you and your partner are confident in the relationship and that’s all that matters.
Spend time with each other’s friends
To avoid judgment and criticism it may seem tempting to isolate yourselves. However, you will feel much more confident in your relationship if you know that the people you care about are happy for you. It’s important that you both spend time with each other’s friends so that you become more involved in each other’s lives.
Try new things
Focus on the exciting things that you can both bring to the relationship. You can educate each other on different music tastes, favorite films and hobbies. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Let your partner take you dancing or introduce you to a new style of food – you never know you might love it!
Compatibility doesn’t depend on age. Concentrate on all the things you have in common. Pursuing interests together can be a lot of fun and it’s a great way to get closer to one another. Learn a new sport, skill or activity together.
Stay true to who you are
Your partner fell in love with you for who you are, so don’t feel like you have to change yourself. Don’t be embarrassed by your youthful naivety and lack of experience as your partner is probably attracted to your innocent outlook and youthful energy. Or if you’re older, don’t worry about your age: your partner probably enjoys the fact that he or she can learn a lot from you.
Remember, if you meet someone who’s older of younger than you, you can connect to someone through mutual interests, talking points, and passions, no matter what the difference in age.