WHAT ABOUT YOUR DATES AGE?

The most important factor seems to be the two people’s own feelings about their difference in ages. If an older woman is always afraid that she’ll lose her man to some younger female, or if she “lords it over him” because she’s wiser and more experienced, there may be trouble. If, on his side, he makes her feel vulnerable by teasing her about her age, or if he takes a dependent role and lets her manage things and him, the relationship may founder. But if two people can understand that the number of birthdays a person has had is far less important than the quality of the life he has lived, age differences are no longer a legitimate concern.

There once was considerable stigma about dating a man in uniform. Now, when most boys experience military service before they are far into their twenties, the situation ischanged. A young man joins the service and soon finds himself in a training post far removed from the friends and associates of his home town. Some impulsive young fellows take this opportunity to cut up and do things they would never dream of doing at home. But for the great majority, the man in uniform is still the same man he was at home, with the same standards, values, and attitudes he always had.

The boy in uniform may be quite as fine as any home-town boy, but he poses problems for the girl who dates him. First of all, he comes from another locale, possibly a different culture, and this social gulf can cause difficulties in a relationship. Secondly, it’s difficult for a girl to know what kind of person she’s dealing with, since she has had no contact with his family. Thirdly, he’s usually stationed in the training post for a short period of time, and there is not time enough to build a long-lasting relationship. And lastly, being away from home and friends, the young man is quite possibly lonely and especially eager for female companionship, with the result that he’s overly susceptible to emotional entanglements.