Yeah... If a guy is willing to see someone who's not considered an adult yet is committing a crime as for one. How does it not upset your parents knowing you're going out with someone like that?
I say it's a no go.
It's not a crime. It's only a crime if they have sex. Dating someone under 18 is not a crime. And in some cases marriages are given to people under 18, with parental consent, in the US. So that, in and of itself, is not a valid reason, because it's not based in truth but a misunderstanding of the truth.
To the OP. Spiritually speaking there is nothing wrong with the age difference. People here are really only giving opinions. But an opinion is just that. Personal take on things and not a fact.
That said, it's apparent that few 18 year olds are mature enough to make wise decisions about their long term future. How far through have you thought this relationship? 22 years difference in age. Longer than you've been alive.
He was 22, that's 4 years older than you are now, when he was born. When you're 40 he'll have been getting senior discounts already.
How would you feel about one of your HS friends marrying your dad, for example? That's the kind of age difference we're talking about.
Consider this. You go out with him. Just anywhere, grocery shopping or whatever. Are you prepared to spend the next decade, or decades, explaining to people this isn't my dad, this is my husband'? Because that's exactly what people are going to think when they see the two of you. Many people will not approve, and a fair share of them won't hesitate to tell you, or talk behind your back.
I know you're looking at this through puppy love eyes. But there are a lot of downfalls you aren't considering here. This isn't me saying you should or shouldn't. This is me saying that there's a lot more to this situation than you're thinking through. And you're letting emotions get in the way of clear thinking. And because of your age you lack the mental development to foresee consequences and an accurate concern of the future. And that isn't just some random insult to your youth, it is a scientific study that has proven the human brain doesn't stop developing until around 21. And the last part of the brain to develop is the section that foresees consequences.
But i will agree with one statement above. At your age you're likely not ready to marry. Your understanding of marriage isn't going to be accurate. And quite possibly your abilities to be the kind of wife a man in his 40's would expect, you likely can't live up to. He may be going for the thrill of the younger woman, but in the long run is he really going to be happy with your limitations? Are you going to be happy trying to fulfill the expectations of people your parents age?
Generally people say age shouldn't matter, and there is some truth to that. But there hits a point where the age differences become drastic enough to make most people question.
