How can I (17M) look out for the best interest of the girl I like (15F)? (
self.Advice)
submitted 3 months ago by
frivolous_banter to
r/Advice
When I asked for advice in a different sub I got called a nonce a lot.
We're 2.3 years apart. The significance of that is not lost on me. The mental development of teenagers makes even a couple years a big maturity gap, and we're gonna be in different life stages soon. I know that.
I've known this girl for five months. We were just friends for a while. I didn't think of her like that at all. I didn't think I'd be that guy, falling for a younger girl.
We see each other about every other weekend and text A LOT. I really like her and she really likes me but we aren't officially dating. We talk very deeply and she says I know more about her than anybody else. I know it seems naive, but I could genuinely see me and her getting married someday. We have good communication, all the same values, and I've never felt this way about anyone before.
Most of the comments I got on my other posts said I should not date her because of the age gap. But nobody on reddit knows me or her personally, so I think I'm gonna ask her parents what they think before I do anything. Her mum likes me. I haven't properly met her dad yet, but I imagine they might be a bit hesitant about the idea of us dating, but I haven't asked yet. They're reasonable people and will look out for what's best for her.
I'm really serious about her though. I want to do right by her. So I want to be aware of the challenges the age gap will cause. Other comments warned me about how she might feel pressure to change herself to keep up with me and how this might lead to her becoming isolated from other people her age.
I'm making a list of things that could become issues in our relationship and I'm gonna talk to her about these things.
So far the list includes:
* Different life stages - This is my last year of school, she's got a couple more to go. She might feel pressure to grow up faster and lose part of her youth
* Codependency - We've been getting very close, but if I'm the only person she confides in, that could be really isolating for her
Sex is really not on my mind.
Where I live, a 15 year old can consent to sex with somebody up to 5 years older than them and a 17 year old can consent to sex with any age (I know, it's a gross law) But I don't want her to grow up to regret any part of our relationship so I don't think we'll start to think about doing anything like that until we're both over 18.
Yes, she will still be 15 when I turn 18. I think it's best if we don't become explicitly romantic or officially dating until she turns 16.
I would love suggestions about what else I should be aware of and advice, especially from people who've been on either side of teenage relationships with similar age gaps.
I would like advice not just for the ages we're at now, but also about how the age gap will continue to affect our relationship as we get a bit older.
TL;DR: I'm really serious about this girl, but I know the age gap can cause major problems. What do I have to be cautious of to do right by her and make this work?