"We met at a wedding; we always say that we never would've matched on a dating app because we wouldn't have even been in each other's age brackets and our interests would've been completely different." -Emma, 26, 11 years younger than her boyfriend
"We met on Fetlife." -Sean, 35, 14 years older than his partner
Did you know that there was an age difference right away?"The first time I saw him, I thought, 'old guy.' But it's funny how when you get to know someone... well, those first impressions about outer appearances can change." -Lila
"Yes. That's one of the reasons I would not have asked her out. That and I thought she might be a Republican. She's not." -Nathan
Do you feel like you are in or have been in different places in your lives?"The age gap becomes most obvious when dealing with our parents. His parents are going through some of the typical aging complications, and his father has advanced dementia. My parents are closer in age to my husband and still in pretty good health. My father watches my kids two days per week and they are actively traveling, working on their house, participating in social events, and generally acting like people with an empty nest." -Ashley
"In some ways. She's killing it in her career right now, and I'm looking for a second act career-wise. Turns out that second act will be stay-at-home dad for a while. But with a kid on the way, we are very much thrust into the exact same place in our lives. That is lovely. " -Nathan
"Our differences appear when we're with our friends. When it's just the two of us, the age difference is not apparent in any way." -Nicole, 43, 16 years younger than her husband
"There's a big difference between what I do for fun-social media, coffee shops-and what he does: a bowling league and a dart league, I shit you not. Sometimes, he tries to give me advice because 'he's been through it.' I'm not super crazy about that, as it does make the age gap seem a lot bigger." -Nina, 26, nine years younger than her boyfriend
Do other people make comments about the age gap? Does it bother you guys?
"My husband acts like he's in his 30s (in a positive way!) and doesn't look particularly old, so most people don't realize there's an age difference until it's pointed out to them. It doesn't bother either of us and we're usually the first ones to make jokes about it." -Ashley
"A few people made age comments over the years, usually by mistaking him for my father, which was embarrassing, but more for them than me or Dennis. I didn't care. We enjoyed raising kids together, and while his age slowed him down earlier than other dads, he was more nurturing and loving with our boys when they were very young." -Lila
"My friends were the most vocal-they all thought he was too young to be serious about a relationship (and in the end they were right!). I admit I felt like in public, people assumed I was his aunt or that we were just friends, and it bothered me a bit." -Gwen, 48, 19 years older than her ex-boyfriend
"The age gap sounds bad until you know us and the way we interact. At face value, it's definitely alarming and I understand why anyone would be concerned. It's exhausting to constantly have to explain the relationship. I find myself preemptively defending it before anyone's even had a chance to say anything." -Thalia, 26, more than 20 years younger than her partner
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