I dated a man 15 years older, and everyone criticized me. Some said I was a gold digger and had daddy issues, but I loved him.

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• I started dating a man who was 15 years older than me.
• Everyone in my life criticized my age-gap relationship, asking if I was only in it for the money.
• Our relationship did eventually end, but it wasn't because of our age difference.

Age is an odd topic of conversation. In high school, a year's difference can feel like eons. In college, two or three years are of no consequence. Then...