How old is too old?

[bballwardy7]

When dating others sometimes there is an age gap. When you get above a certain age it is more acceptable to date people with a bigger age gap to yourself. I was wondering what other people thought about age gaps.

1) If a person is 16 what is the oldest acceptable age of a person they could go out with?

2) If a person is 18 what is the oldest acceptable age of a person they could go out with?

Your answers will be greatly appreciated thank you x

[jimmer]

if only life was that simple. there are laws to protect the most vunerable - i.e. those under 16 - but apart from that dating is down to the individuals involved. leaving aside the fact that age is not really a guide to maturity, surely any adult can chose to form relationships with whomever they want. What do you mean by acceptable?

 

jim

[Octavius]

I am 8 years older than my gf, which means that if she was 16 then I would be 24.  I couldn't give 2 hoots whether society found this acceptable or not.  It depends on the maturity of the individuals, not other peoples opinions.  I doubt a 16 year old would want to go out with anyone older than say.. 50 - but thats up to them innit.

[hugoboss]

'acceptable' doesnt seem to mean to same to different people, so there is no right or wrong answer to this! just do what feels right for you!!

[amarillis]

When I was 16 I went out with a 19 year old, but he was a lot more mature than the 40 year old I dated when I was 20. Age doesn't really matter as much as maturity, and in the end it is really up to each individual person what they do, not up to other people to say what is acceptable.

[Scarlett]

Ay 16 you are still very young, so I wouldn't advise going out with anyone more than 18. At 18 you are an adult and can see anyone you choose, but I find more than 25-ish difficult, purely because you have less in common and very different life experience. However there are always exceptions to the rule!

[tomd]

I always go by 125% of the younger participant, though 120% below 18 is frownable, especially if the relationship becomes intimate. Over 25 it really doesn't matter though.

[blueeyedlass]

well when i was 16 i was going out with a 20 year old we were together for 3 half years and im now with my boyfriend whos 16 years older than me im 23 and hes just turned 40.we have been together for nearly five years now and i love him to death.i dont really think age is such a big issue as its sometimes made out to be i think if the two people love each other then its irrelevent.

[ama]

my sister used to date a 32 year old when she was 18. Is Peter Stringfellow being included in this question?  :P

[ama]

Also, when I was 13, my best friend (also 13) started dating a 48 year old bus driver. We let the head teacher know and she stopped the relationship, fired the bus driver from the school runs and informed the girls parents. They bumped into each other again 4 years ago. They are now married with 2 kids. She's 24 and he's 59. To me, this is too much.