I agree that the gap isn’t as important as the age you have when you meet.
In 1999, I had two successive relationships with girls, Lauren and Eva, who were 18. I was then in my mid-20s. The difference in our outlooks on life very soon proved insurmountable.
However, Gini, whom I met in late 2019, was 10 years younger than me. Before we met, she’d been in a relationship with a guy who was 5 years younger than her. Both relationships were riddled with problems, but in our case, age was not one of them. We were in similar places in life : our University years were long gone, and we had both been professionally active for years. Sure, she’d chuckle when I struggled with some smartphone app and I gently ribbed her when she hadn’t heard of some 80s event but on the whole, we were on the same page. I’m not sure what the dynamics with her ex were in that respect, although I remember that she was embarassed to tell me me how much younger than her he was.
It’s weird to think that Lauren and Eva are in fact several years older than Gini. In my mind, they are still those sweet but immature girls I dated for a few weeks, while Gini is the accomplished professional woman I was in a long-term relationship with.
That must have been a terrible experience LSLGuy. As for the rest of your post, I find your attitude extremely wise and considerate.