Is 18 too young

[Charlie sledge]

I`ve recently posted on this site about if i should tell this girl i started to have feelings for that i like her. I got back some good advice which i`m taking into account. Now i`m starting to think if her age is going to be a problem. I knew she was 18 before i started having feelings for her (i`m 20) but she looked like she could be 19. The two year difference wouldnt really bother me but because shes only 18 i`m not sure if shes mature enough to date or even have a relationship with. She has a good personality and is alot of fun to be around, we joke alot and we make each other laugh. Going back to my previous post we hung out for the first time on a friday night after she drunkenly invited me to hang out with her at her friends birthday party. Having already started to develop feelings for her i went and she was holding my hand, we cuddled, i loved it, it felt like we were a couple, but what i now realise is that all her friends are 18 or close to being 19. I was the oldest one there. Not to toot my own horn but i am, not fully i might add, mature and i`ve had younger girls who were too immature for me in the past. which brings me to my current post, is being 18 too young, i know girls mature faster then boys and i havent been around her long enough to see if she is mature enough to date. I really like this girl but i dont want to do anything that will end up hurting her.

[sadie_genie]

Uhhh...the two year age difference doesn't really make a big difference. However, age isn't always the accurate measure of maturity. Get to know her better and then decide.

[dutng]

hi. i think you will folow to your hert. age nothing any where. two year not problem.
good luke for you.

[Superfantastich]

2 years....thats hardly an age gap. Go for it!

[Kathryn6586]

The difference in maturity between and 18 year old and a 20 year old is not much. Besides men mature later then women so chances are she may be more ready then yout think! I would ignore the age thing...2 years is nothing!

[Mathias]

The difference in maturity between and 18 year old and a 20 year old is not much. Besides men mature later then women so chances are she may be more ready then yout think! I would ignore the age thing...2 years is nothing!

This has been said so much that it's a part of pop culture now. I'd honestly like to see the scientific data behind this. How are we measuring maturity? How did we measure that one gender was more mature than another?

[whenweawake]

I'm 22 and my bf only 19 its not an issue for us. 2 years is nothing

[bulrush]

It's not about age, it's about maturity and similarities. 2 years is not much of an age gap. My grandparents had a 13 year age gap, which would be a scandal today.

Maturity:

1. Does she show maturity? If she wants to party every weekend, that's fine, as long as she doesn't lose her job and can still pay her bills.
2. Can she balance a checkbook and manage money? Can she spend less than she earns?
3. Can she save for the future, like for retirement, a house, or a down payment on a car?
4. Does she have her own apartment yet? Can she pay the bills without running out of money?
5. Does she even have a job which would allow her to pay her own bills? Or will she always have a dead-end job and a roommate?
6. How do you feel about earning most of the money, while she spends it? Are you ok with that?

Relationships:

1. Can she talk about your differences without yelling, raising her voice, or blaming?
2. Can she compromise on things, even things that are difficult for her?
3. How does she act when stressed? Does she take it out on you or the dog? Or does she let go of stress when she is done with school/work? How a person acts when stressed is a BIG indicator of their personality. It's now how they deal with the good times that matter, it's how they deal with the bad times.
4. What does SHE think are the fundamental ideas in a successful long-term relationship?

Couples most fight about these things, so you must be very compatible in these areas:

1. Finances and how to run them. Do you both agree how to spend and save money?
2. Sex, how often. How often do you both want to have sex. If you compromised, would you both still be happy?
3. Kids. How many and when. How many kids do you have and when do you want to have them.
4. Kids and discipline. Are you firm and fair with discipline? Or you overly harsh? Or do you let the kids run amok in the house?
5. What if she has friends you despise? How do you handle it? How do you compromise on this?