What age difference is acceptable?

[steve-in-kville]

A family friend of ours always had an attraction to men that looked old enough to be her dad. She was widowed in her 50's and married a man (that looked) much older. But then I know guys that are attracted to older women, too. Cougars I think they are referenced as.

[temporal1]

A family friend of ours always had an attraction to men that looked old enough to be her dad. She was widowed in her 50's and married a man (that looked) much older. But then I know guys that are attracted to older women, too. Cougars I think they are referenced as.

If i understand, i might not! - Not all older women are automatically cougars. There are some predators out there. Not all.
i’m not researching!

[Sliceitup]

If calling someone "reading impaired" isn't a snide put-down, then I don't know what is.

I am one of the reading impaired people since my dominant eye has a massive floater. I did not take it as an insult. Maybe it was intended to be, but it does help me to have caps, bold, especially underlined text when people post now.

I do stand by my formula I posted before.

YoungerAge = Olderage/2 +10

According to this formula our marriage was outside of acceptable range for the first ten years.

[steve-in-kville]

A family friend of ours always had an attraction to men that looked old enough to be her dad. She was widowed in her 50's and married a man (that looked) much older. But then I know guys that are attracted to older women, too. Cougars I think they are referenced as.

If i understand, i might not! - Not all older women are automatically cougars. There are some predators out there. Not all.
i’m not researching!

I was hoping to get a rise out of someone

I overheard a conversation at lunchtime that amused me. Apparently there are pumas, cougars, something older yet jaguars, and then turkey vultures. Not sure If I'm gonna research this any further

(ETA: yes, I did look it up anyway)

[Ken]

A family friend of ours always had an attraction to men that looked old enough to be her dad. She was widowed in her 50's and married a man (that looked) much older. But then I know guys that are attracted to older women, too. Cougars I think they are referenced as.

If i understand, i might not! - Not all older women are automatically cougars. There are some predators out there. Not all.
i’m not researching!

I was hoping to get a rise out of someone

I overheard a conversation at lunchtime that amused me. Apparently there are pumas, cougars, something older yet jaguars, and then turkey vultures. Not sure If I'm gonna research this any further

(ETA: yes, I did look it up anyway)

Seems rather sexist to have all these derogatory names for women who seek mates that are of different ages from them. When it is actually men who are the ones doing it 90% of the time.

[temporal1]

A family friend of ours always had an attraction to men that looked old enough to be her dad. She was widowed in her 50's and married a man (that looked) much older. But then I know guys that are attracted to older women, too. Cougars I think they are referenced as.

If i understand, i might not! - Not all older women are automatically cougars. There are some predators out there. Not all.
i’m not researching!

I was hoping to get a rise out of someone

I overheard a conversation at lunchtime that amused me. Apparently there are pumas, cougars, something older yet jaguars, and then turkey vultures. Not sure If I'm gonna research this any further

(ETA: yes, I did look it up anyway)

glad to oblige. i was puzzled, didn’t you say your wife is a bit older? i can see where it would work well.
i had a hunch our son would marry an older young woman. surprise! she’s about 10 years younger!

[Chris]

My wife and I are 6 years apart. We were both in our 30s when we got married.

I don't think age difference is particularly important. What I think is important is minimum ages to get married. I think 16 is too young to get married whether you are marrying another 16 year old or someone 26 or 36.

It used to be completely normal back when marriages were a lot stronger. It’s time to stop treating grown humans as children. I can’t think of any reason my grandparents should have waited around an extra 2 years.

If 16 year-olds are mature enough to get married then 16 year-olds are also mature enough to:

join the military and be deployed to fight in war zones overseas
vote
drink alcohol, smoke, buy pot, etc.
buy handguns and firearms
sign binding business contracts
be tried in adult courts for all offenses
get commercial drivers licenses and drive semis on the highways
make all their own medical decisions including being transgender without parental involvement or consent

If you believe that all of the above is true then sure, 16 year-olds are also mature enough to get married.

I teach 16 year-olds (10th graders) and I don't find ANY of the above to be true. And the only one that might be marginally debatable is voting.

Does this really speak to the maturity of the 16 year old, or the way they are learning? Because perhaps being near other 16 year olds all day long isn't a way of maturing properly. 16 year olds who are taught properly could easily be responsible to shoot a gun (and buy them), DRIVE, etc. But 16 year olds are typically taught of their immaturity/inabilities, busy work, an non life skills.

In generations past, 16 year olds were perfectly fine and mature to marry. Even could build their own homes and provide for their families.

[Chris]

.. If 16 year-olds are mature enough to get married then 16 year-olds are also mature enough to: ..

This is your personal “IF/THEN” supreme being logic that has nothing to do with God’s design, various faith beliefs, cultural beliefs, or U.S. law.

Yes, it is my opinion.

If you disagree then go ahead and share your own opinion and argument about how 16 year-olds are mature enough to get married but NOT mature enough to vote, drink, buy drugs, or make their own medical decisions without parental consent.

Or just pick one. Say voting. If 16 year-olds are mature enough to get married and have children, why are they not mature enough to vote?

I think they are mature enough for all of it (I am against the military idea though). It's how they are raised & taught. Unless you'd like to accuse most of human history of being wrong. I mean Alexander the Great was left to rule Macedonia and also won a battle at 16. People in Biblical days married at 13 & 14. People in the 1800's were easily married at 16. In fact 20 a girl was an "old maid".

The difference is now we have a school system that represses real maturing, education, and life experience. A 16 year old is with peers, collaborates with 16 year olds (classmates), and not in the normal flow of life with others of all ages. Mentors are minimized, and instruction is generally from 1 adult. In normal life we are around both the young and old. Teaching the young, and seeing the old as experienced and mentors tends to mature a person faster.

[Chris]

It’s telling how a liberal thinks that getting married and shooting up drugs and getting drunk are somehow equivalent.

No one said they are equivalent.

The question is at what age are children old enough to make their own adult decisions. If you think children at age 16 are old enough to make the life-altering decision to get married, have sex, start making babies, etc. Then I assume you also believe they are mature enough to engage in other adult activity, correct? Like voting, joining the military, signing contracts, making their own medical decisions, facing adult justice for any wrongdoing, etc. Correct?

I think if a 16 year old can wait two years until they can vote, they can also wait two years until they get married, start having sex, and making babies.

Most Biblical scholars say Mary was 14 or 15 when she was with child with the Lord Jesus Christ.

So yeah God, the creator of all found maturity in her at that age. Perhaps it's not age, it's the maturity and something we are doing wrong today that represses maturity.

[Robert]

YoungerAge = Olderage/2 +10

According to this formula our marriage was outside of acceptable range for the first ten years.

I am glad you got it corrected.