Let’s Talk: Is Age Just A Number?
I once fell in love with a guy who was younger than I was. Yes, you read that right. We didn’t work out for important reasons (the age was NOT one of them. lol). But I can say one or two things when somebody asks me, “Is age just a number?” Safe to say at this point in my life, I am not trying to think about if it’s possible to date a guy who’s younger than I. Rather, I should be considering if I want to date such a person or not.
But really, I’ve thought about this again and again. Would my relationship with this guy have worked out in the long run? I really don’t know. It might have worked out if he didn’t end up a childish person or if I didn’t turn out a bossy person. But I can’t say because it didn’t work out outside of the age reason. P.S: He was not childish, neither was I bossy.
I do not think there’s anything wrong with dating someone who is younger than you as a lady or dating someone older as a guy. But I really do not think, also, that that’s one situation I would ever like to be in. Not because I won’t respect him but because it would take a whole lot of persuasion for me to actually believe that he won’t ever see any actions on my part as being done because I’m older.
Somebody once told my ex that I was domineering simply because he saw me open a door without allowing my Ex open it while we were walking together. I will never be able to understand the correlation between opening a door myself while my boyfriend was there and being domineering. That’s not the point I am trying to drive at, anyway, but what I am saying is, if I could actually be seen as domineering because of something as irrelevant as that, what would have happened if I was older? He probably would have thought I was doing everything I was doing because he was younger. Too much headache abeg.
So, for me, I’d say it would take a whole lot of maturity on both sides to deal with a relationship that is against status quo. First, the guy mustn’t have insecurity issues. Else, he might wrongly infer that she’s doing everything she is doing because she is older. I mean, she won’t be able to voice out her displeasure, won’t be able to offer help or whatever simply because, “Is it because you’re older than I am?”
On the other hand, the woman must also be ready to “forget” her age in the relationship. Else, she’ll begin to wonder why she offered to date or marry someone who “acts his age” (you know what that means abi?)
At the end of the day, relationships are not defined by age but by how much we’re ready to accommodate the other person, deal with their strengths and faults and how much we’re ready to actually make the relationship work.
Can I date a guy who’s younger than I am? Yes, definitely, I can. Well, I guess I can.
As usual, I did a poll asking people if age was just a number and I got some responses. Big thanks to everyone who responded. Below are some of the responses I got. Enjoy them and don’t forget to drop your comments before leaving. Thank you! Just in case you want to connect with me on social media, you can follow me on any of these platforms. I’d love to hear from you anytime!
Facebook: Orifunke Lawal
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