It is completely normal. It is not a big age gap and both are legally of age, both the age of consent and the age of majority.
Five to seven years is generally an acceptable age difference. However, there's no single right answer here, as it depends on the situation. As long as both partners are consenting adults, there's nothing preventing you from dating someone significantly older or younger than you are.
Now there's a general rule that always starts this game. The equation, of course: Half your age then add seven to work out if someone is too young for you to date; take seven off your age then double it to work out if someone is too old for you to date.
You'll hear lots of debate about age-gap relationship, especially the more youthful you might be. Would it be a good idea to decide to try? Though only five years between the 2 years, matchmaking when you are 23 with a 18 year-old has extremely significant differences.
Many people like to refer to “The Rule of 7″: The older person's age divided by half plus 7 should not be less than the younger partner's age. In your case, 24 : 2 = 12; 12 + 7 = 19. This means, such age gap is viewed as acceptable by the society.
This rule states that by dividing your own age by two and then adding seven you can find the socially acceptable minimum age of anyone you want to date. So if you're a 24-year-old, you can feel free to be with anyone who is at least 19 (12 + 7) but not someone who is 18.
There's nothing wrong with you being together, but realize that she is still maturing, so encourage her to pursue her personal goals, education, etc. She may grow into a very different person by age 25, and you need to support and encourage that.
If you are 18, at least in the US, you can date anyone you want who is also over 18 and consenting. As for what is recommended, I believe the general rule is “half your age plus 7,” so if you are 30 years old, the youngest partner you should have would be 22 years old.
No, not at all. As you age, an age gap is going to matter less and less. If you were in high school it would be more weird for someone 4 years your senior to be interested in you. But really, two people in their 20s are in a very similar stage of life.
In short, research seems to indicate that in many cultures, an age gap of 1 to 3 years is considered ideal — but some researchers suggest even a relationship with an age gap of less than 10 years will bring more satisfaction. Still, numbers rarely tell the full story when it comes to love.
Is it normal for 18 to date a 21? It's not only not weird, it's really, really common. The real thing to consider (since you're both legally adults) is what life experience you have in common. At 18, you've either recently graduated or are a high school senior.
This is not a significant difference in ages. If the girl is 18 and the boy is 26, It is good match because boys usually mature late as compared to girls. However, if it opposite: the boy is 18 and the girl is 26, the boy needs special considerations from the mature girl.
No there is nothing wrong with this in itself. You might be an experienced and mature 19 year old he may be 26 year old man-child. The roles might be reversed, who knows. You are an adult and can make your own decisions, if you want to date a 40 year old that is also fine, its your choice.
For a relationship? If you're the 17 year old, then that gap constitutes 32% of everything you have experiences in life. Roughly one third of all of your life experiences, the 25 year old has done that much more than you. Put in those terms, yes, it's a dramatic age gap.
Are 21 year olds more mature than 18 year olds? Generally yes, as the brain is closer to it's final state of development at 21 than it is at 18. That doesn't mean that every 21 year old is more mature than every 18 year old however.
Dating Age Rule. The dating age rule to determining a socially acceptable age difference in partners goes something like this: half your age plus seven (40 = 20 +7 = 27) to define the minimum age of a partner and your age minus seven times two (40 = 33 * 2 = 60) to define the maximum age of a partner.
Young adulthood (generally defined as 18 to 22 or 18 to 25) Later adulthood (generally defined as mid-20s and older)
That age difference is not much, and you shouldn't feel awkward or wrong in any way. There are couples with much larger age gaps, cultural and religious differences so yours is pretty normal. If a girl is legally old enough to have sex and she is mutually and happily with you, you have nothing to worry about!
21 and 25 are not a BIG age gap. It all depends on how mature the 21 year old is, and the 25 year old. Of course people like 12 and 16 is a MAJOR age gap, because the 12 year old is so young they don't know how mature the 12 year old is, and the 12 year old is not ready for a relationship at that age.
In NSW, the age of consent is 16. If you are 16 years old and above, you can legally have sex (or do another sexual activity) with another person who is 16 years or older as long as you both agree to it.
Legally, there is nothing wrong with pursuing a romantic or sexual relationship since, in all states, 18 is considered an age of consent, and both parties involved are considered adults. Socially, there are some taboos with the age difference. (One has more experience in adulthood than the other.)
At 18, you are a legal adult and can freely date any other adult that you want. There are no ethical or moral issues if two adults with a big age gap choose to date each other.
Grooming can happen when there is a power differential within a relationship, which the abuser exploits for their own gratification. This is most commonly recognised as a tactic used by perpetrators of child sexual abuse, both on children and parents. However, adults can also be groomed.
“[Grooming] can occur at any age, and it has a great deal to do with gullibility, insecurity, religion, and culture. [...] It starts by targeting a vulnerable person, then building trust.”
There are specific problems and challenges associated with large age gaps, but none of them are insurmountable to have a relationship. It would depend on where on the age scale the couple fell, but generally the answer is: “no.”