Dating a young man; personal story

Being a woman who has been dating a man 15 years younger (he's 33 and I am 48) I have found that I not only have to be honest and open with him, but with myself as well. He was attracted to me because of my maturity level and felt that women his age or younger were immature. You should never lie about your age or anything else, and what others think of your relationship is something that THEY have to deal with, not you. And in the words of my best friend and lover, "When it comes to matters of love, go with what your heart says. If you think too much, you will always be single."

We met through an online dating site, and liked each other right away. We had a lot of things in common and even our differences in culture and opinion have kept our relationship lively! Did I say that I am an African-American and he is Caucasian. It seems as if men between the ages of 30-36 have a healthy balance of youth and maturity. Our openness about color/age differences has kept us together for a little over a year.

I think the best tips I could give would be:

1. Be true to yourself and always be honest with your partner. If there are things that make you uncomfortable about how your family and/or friends perceive your relationship, talk it out with them. (Related article: Communication among couples)
2. Age IS just a number! Take care of your body and mind. (Related article: Couples with large age gaps)
3. Keep a good sense of humor. I have to laugh and tease my partner about my being just 8 years younger than his mom and dad.
4. Be open to learning new things from your partner, as well as teaching. We have never really had a "bad" experience since we began dating. Most of the time people ask how we get along and how we met. I love him very much, and he loves me, and as corny as this sounds, that's all that really matters. (Related article: Ingredients of a happy relationship)

We are best friends above everything else, and have promised to be just that no matter what happens.

Recommended article: Tips on dating younger men