I am originally from India and come from a culturally different setting. My mother is 17 yrs younger to my father and theirs was an “arranged marriage”. They did not have a great marriage though it has lasted 40 yrs and they are still going strong (also going at each other hammer and tongs). It has all been fights and arguments; she believes she got the short end of the stick in this marriage and is vehemently opposing my choice as she fears a similar outcome for us. My parents had issues that were to do with mismatched personalities and some to do with age gap.

I am nervous because of all the negative sentiments abound, but my fiance is firmly convinced we will do very well. He is healthy thanks to good genes. I am hoping we will live together for atleast a few decades. This is my first relationship and I was keen on settling down with only one person , so I did not get into the dating game. I love him very much ,but while I do I want to make sure I am not making a bad decision as none of my family is going to help me out here. I will be lucky if they attend my wedding!

Thanks again. I am just rambling but I wanted to just pour out my woes and tell you how relieving it is to know somebody had a great experience in a may-december marriage.

Little Lotta (that’s what he calls me!

I think June(bug) just said it better than I could. There are no guarantees in life. I say, be gentle with your parents. Stand your ground, but them know you understand about their concerns. Then you might just send them over to this website! Every marriage has strengths and weaknesses. With love, respect, and commitment you’ll have a solid foundation for the good and the bad times.

Best of luck to you both!

Gayle

Thanks for sharing your story with us. I have to admit, it’s always nice to hear a sister “May” tell her story and share about her December’s longevity. Needless to say when you are happily married, you want your spouse to hang around! I have learned that being of similar ages is no guarantee that both partners will live the same amount of time.

But again, it is always nice to hear that a couple with a significant age gap can celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary together. I’m sorry for your loss. I’m sure you miss him. Thank goodness you didn’t let fear or judgements stop you from following your heart. You had sooooo many wonderful years together. I just love to hear that!!!

hugs,

Gayle

Your website sounds exactly like what I have been looking for. I am recently divorced and I have been involved with a man who is twenty four years older than me. I am 33 and he is 57. However, he is VERY youthful for his age. He exercises and lifts weights daily, has never smoked, hates alcohol, and would rather sip tea or water than soda. His own doctor told him that he has the heart of a man in his twenties. However, my parents are simply fuming over the relationship (they are 60 and 61) and they (my folks) and the rest of my family are convinced that it could never work between he and I. They think I am, simply put, being a fool. Any advice you could offer me would be well received and appreciated.

Sincerely yours, Kelley B.