by Cyndi Li

Created on: October 10, 2007   Last Updated: December 03, 2007

Older woman dates younger man. This situation hits home for me. I was the older woman. I've dated older men, men of my age and some a few years younger, but this particular man was 12 years younger. Quite a jump out of the normal age range for me.

To say he was completely different than the others wouldn't be true. He was a man and, like most others, had man tendencies that I found both charming and annoying. In spite of that, I did find there were a few things I considered more beneficial when it comes to dating, when that person is a younger man.

For starters, he hadn't been on the dating scene all that long so his list of exes was substantially small. I've had a few run ins were exes are concerned and it wasn't, shall we say, the most pleasant of situations. (some people find it hard to move on after a break up) So, for me personally, I was a bit more relaxed when we went out as there were only a couple of potentials that we may have encountered.

He was still at point in his life where he was driven by desire instead of obligation. Being around him, I felt as if my own wants had become more attainable. I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination, at the end of my life cycle (at least not that I'm aware of) but my ambitious nature seemed to flourish when we were together.

He was also still actively involved with quite a few of his old high school friends. Being a part of their conversations brought back some fond memories I had, for whatever reason, dismissed over the years.

He was energetic and spontaneous. Hopping on his motorcycle at 11 o'clock at night to go get a candy bar at the all-night convenient store was never out of the question. All I had to do was ask and we were off. I loved that carefree willingness and to this day, miss it.

He was eager to listen to the lessons I'd learned in life. I was no rocket scientist (I'm still not) nor had I traveled the world (I still haven't) but I had experienced a lot of life's inevitable ups and downs, and it was refreshing to have someone listen with a wonder that only comes from innocent inexperience. Some times you just want a person to listen to your story without them interjecting their own.

I suppose one of the biggest benefits for me personally was he couldn't get enough of me, and I'm not talking about physically. Age, whether older or younger, isn't a huge factor when it comes to physical intimacy. I mean he could never seem to get enough of my presence. Maybe he was intrigued with the confidence most older women have acquired with age. Or possibly he was comfortable in knowing that I had learned to remain calm in unwanted situations, instead of running around screaming frantically like some younger women tend to do. Whatever it was that constantly drew him to me, I was most happy for it.

Did I mention that he spoiled me rotten? He did.

There are some cons that go along with the pros of dating a younger man, but with the right outlook and determination, the age difference is manageable and, like in other relationships the hurdles are conquerable.

Older woman dates younger man. Been there. Done that. And, if it's anything like the first time, I'd do it again.

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