She’s 22.
What’s the name of that restaurant again, B?
/s/ Hungry in Cleveland 
Note to self: do not post when reallllllyy tired. My bad 
I think that rule is stupid anyway. If you’re quite a bit older than someone, if they are legally able to go to a bar and drink alcohol and they don’t seem crazy, give it a shot.
And I only say they should be 21 because then you can at least go to all the same places. I started dating my boyfriend when I was 20 and he was 23 and it was a drag until I turned 21 a couple months later - couldn’t go out with his friends.
I think it’s a pretty good general rule for judging judging creepiness, but I also believe not being creepy is overrated. 
Yeah- I’m 25 and I’ve got no qualms about going out with a 21-year-old. Except that I’m practically married.
18-21 I’d have some quibbles with, personally; I remember how much smarter (and yet less interesting) I got between 18 and 21, and I’m not sure I could subject myself, or her, to that sort of divide.
I’m 44, almost 45, so according to that rule, my lower limit is 45/2+7 = 29.5. Hmm.
Well engaged/living together but we’re not actually married yet.
Erm, sorry 'bout that???
If you’re going to apologize to him you’re also going to have to apologize to all the straight, unmarried guys on the board, plus not just a few married-but-fantasizing men, and probably some women as well.
Just to be fair and so forth.
Stranger
Perhaps Mr. Wonderland should apologize instead. 
I do love xkcd 
Well I say unless you’re like twice someone’s age, if they are over 21 and not totally naive and stupid, and you’re not using them, a date isn’t too creepy. I personally wouldn’t date someone more than a couple years older than me (me being almost 22) doesn’t mean no one should. I just have a personal issue with “being in different places in life” and the strain it can put on relationships (a strain I unfortunately deal with still because I am still a student and my boyfriend has a ‘real’ job).
It’s not like asking this girl on a date means you have to marry her. If you like someone (and it’s legal to ) you should at least try. Never know.
This is Point One. Lots of guys mistake waitresses being friendly for flirting. If your friend is pointing it out, then you have a legitimate reason to take it to the next step.
For the age difference, Carolyn Hax of the Washington Post recently addressed this. In essence, it’s only creepy if you exclusively date people who are much younger than you, and you find women of your own age to be bitterly hanging on to their guns and religion, or something like that. I get the news mixed up a lot.
TokyoPlayer, 46, happily married to a 35-year-old.
So, one, there is still hope and two,
is the position of ‘lover’ filled?
I anxiously await an update from the OP…
I’d do it. I dated a girl that was 20 when I was in my early/mid 30’s. We had some fun but we really didn’t hit it off that well, she was too, well, immature.
Probably won’t be popular for saying this, but a very young girl is a ticking time bomb. Don’t fall in love.
That being said, when I was 19 I had a very hot --er, thing with the guitar player in my band. He was 38, twice my age.
My dad (53) is married to a woman who is 35 years old. Now, I’m turning 30 in a few months, so the age gap between my stepmom and I is less than 5 years, which means she’s the same age as some of the men I’ve dated and certainly in the same age range as most of my friends.
As the daughter, I was a little weirded out when they began dating (about 7 yrs ago, iirc), but basically, if it ends up going someplace… the people who give a shit about you will deal with it and learn to embrace her. Fuck em if they can’t take a joke.
That said, I don’t think I’d date anyone 12 years my senior. Being a child of the 70’s is just way too different than being a child of the 80’s and I would sense the gap.
This is a great rule for anyone who gives a damn what I think. Since (1) you don’t, (2) you shouldn’t and (3) 22 < 24, that settles that.
An alternative is Dan Savage’s campsite rule : “So long as older persons leave younger persons in better shape than they found them, it’s all good.”
More from Dan Savage at http://thestranger .com/savage NSFW, he’s graphic and crude.
I’m 33. The few 22-year olds I know are not interesting to me in a LTR way, but I’m married and boring and my underinformed opinion does not mean the two of you can’t have fun together. Go have fun!
Lord of the Rings?
Lewd Tongue Ring?
Loser That Rocks?
Less Than Reliable?
Long-Term Relationship, you doofs!