by M. F. Cunningham

Created on: November 03, 2009

That's one of those tricky questions that will probably have more diverse answers than a rainbow have colors. However, it is my belief that age is not so much a factor as the maturity level of the two people involved. Some people are very mature at a very young age, whereas I still know people in their fifties who exhibit immature behavior. Nevertheless, we all know that age is a factor in young teenage relationships because of the age of consent.

Commonality in a relationship is more important than a person's age. My question in this instance would be, "what do the two people have in common"? What are their education levels, maturity levels, and financial compatibilities. I think that it is moreso a societal issue which states that the man should be the older person in the relationship. Why this is so is beyond me, but women have bought into this as well. However, things are slowly but surely changing for the better.

Women are now becoming more comfortable and confident with dating younger men, and the fear of being labeled a cradle robber is diminishing. Couples just want someone to love, trust and share common interest with and if that person is of the legal age limit all the better for it. Men have always had the luxury of dating younger or older than themselves without one day of scorn or question, but women have had a tougher time at it. There was even one female guest on a talk show who stated that she was "run out of town" for dating younger men. How extreme can a town be? I doubt that they ran the men out of town for dating much younger women.

Finding someone to love you is hard enough without there being any stigmas attached to it. But when someone questions the viability of the relationship based solely on the two individuals age differences I truly find that somewhat appalling and narrow- minded at best. A relationship should never be based solely on ones age, a relationship should include common interest, honesty, trust, and respect. Whatever way individuals find love, no matter what their age may be if they are truly and honestly in love then they are certainly the right age for each other!

Unfortunately society has placed an undue and worriesome burden on people who just want someone to love. There really should never be any negative connotations that arise when someone steps outside of the box than what society views as normal behavior. Where ever you may find love, find it! And if that person is younger or older than you are, so be it. It's your life, live it to the fullest!

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