# Is it true that relationships with an age difference of 10+ years rarely work out?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-relationships-with-an-age-difference-of-10-years-rarely-work-out/661544>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 21, 2013, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-relationships-with-an-age-difference-of-10-years-rarely-work-out/661544 "2013-06-21T07:07:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-relationships-with-an-age-difference-of-10-years-rarely-work-out/661544/41 "2013-06-29T01:28:21Z")

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RT Firefly & Dustin the Wind, thank you. I appreciate your kind words. And The Great Sun Jester, you made me smile… that would mean I am Princess Leia…

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**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-relationships-with-an-age-difference-of-10-years-rarely-work-out/661544/42 "2013-06-29T02:09:19Z")

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PapSett, your parent’s story would make a great movie.

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**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-relationships-with-an-age-difference-of-10-years-rarely-work-out/661544/43 "2013-06-29T08:01:30Z")

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The one I knew that blew the curve was a couple consisting of the husband in his late 20’s & his wife in her late 70’s/early 80’s in the 1980’s.

He was a handyman and she was a widow. He came over to do some repair work on the house she owned and lived in. They hit it off and got married.

They interviewed the couple in the local newspaper. The obvious question on everybody’s mind was: is this real love or a scam? IIRC, both parties revealed that a prenup had been set up which would donate virtually all of the estate (basically, the house) to her kids. And their love was real & legitimate.

The marriage lasted four or five years; she died and he moved on.

Reflecting on it 30 years later, I’ve got quite a bit of admiration for the selflessness of the couple–how many folks do you know with this kind of actuary table disparity when they get married?

Funny story:  
The parents of the hubby went to my parents church. One acquaintance of mine (from college) described what happen (rolling her eyes the whole time) when the “March-December” couple showed up at church–the wife kept pawing at the husband the whole time! It’s hard to pray when someone beside you is running their hand up and down someone else’s groin.

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