Romantic relationships are considered to be “May/December” when the younger person is in the “spring” of their life and the older person is in the “winter” of their life and the couple’s ages are at least a decade apart. There are plenty examples of celebrities who are making these types of relationships work. Usually the men are older such as Tom Cruise, Donald Trump, and Michael Douglas. But sometimes the women are older such as Demi Moore, Mariah Carey, and Madonna.
The first tip I recommend to make this type of relationship work in the real world is to keep in mind that you are dating an entire person, and not just an age. The less you focus on the age difference the better so don’t simply refer to them as “the 25 year old.” Instead, focus your attention on what you have in common, perhaps you both enjoy the same restaurants, films, or trips. Figure out what you both like to do and enjoy it together. In addition, it is important to be particularly open-minded towards trying new things that your date is interested in but that you may not yet be familiar with. It is a great way to learn about your date and the world in general.
Another tip I’d recommend is to introduce each other to friends, it will bring you closer together and make the relationship feel more legitimate. There may be some judgmental people who throw out terms like: Mrs. Robinson, kept man, trophy wife, cougar, mother figure, sugar daddy, sugar mommy, gold digger, and boy toy. But to that I recommend you give them a big, “WHATEVS!” If the two of you are happy dating each other then who cares what some judgmental and naive people think?
We’ll be discussing celebrity relationships with significant age differences and giving tips on how to handle it in the real world tomorrow night at 6 PM ET on “Dating Help 911!” We hope you will call in with questions and comments!