Before everyone comes for me, hear me out. Also, women please chime in too!

A few weeks ago, I (38M) met a woman at the bar of an upscale restaurant. We hit it off immediately, had a great conversation, shared some drinks, and exchanged numbers. Neither of us asked the other’s age. I look significantly younger than 38 (thank you, genetics), so I assume she thought we were closer in age.

The next day, while texting, I found out she’s 24.

Normally, that would be an immediate dealbreaker for me. I mean, what could a 38 year old millennial possibly have in common with a 24 year old Gen Z’er?

Turns out, quite a lot.

We share the same taste in music, our parents immigrated from the same country, we both play pickleball, live in the same neighborhood, and frequent the same restaurants and bars. The list goes on. She’s also absolutely gorgeous, which certainly doesn’t hurt.

What surprised me most, though, was how established she is at 24. She’s educated, financially independent, and has a great career at a major company. At her age, I was still figuring my life out. She’s already accomplished things that took me until my 30s.

After texting for a while, I decided to give it a chance and asked her out.

Our first date was yesterday, and it was genuinely one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. We laughed constantly, had zero awkward silences, enjoyed great food, and even had meaningful conversations about our long-term goals. Surprisingly, we’re looking for the same things.

At the end of the night, she asked, “So when am I going to see you again?”

Here’s my dilemma.

I’m fully aware of how a 38 year old man dating a 24 year old woman might look. I know people will raise concerns about maturity, power imbalances, or assume I’m some creep approaching 40 who’s just looking for attractive arm candy.

But that’s genuinely not what’s happening here. We met organically, connected before knowing each other’s ages, and seem remarkably compatible. I also think it’s unfair to automatically assume a 24 year old woman can’t make informed decisions about her own relationships. She’s an educated, independent adult who seems to know what she wants.

Obviously, we’ve only met twice. Maybe this goes nowhere. Maybe we discover we’re incompatible. Or maybe date two turns into date three, and something meaningful develops.

My biggest hesitation isn’t our connection. It’s how my friends, family, and others might perceive the relationship. I don’t want to be viewed as some creepy older guy chasing women in their early 20s, because that’s never been my thing.

So, Reddit, am I overthinking this? Is a 14 year age gap inherently problematic when both people are consenting, independent adults who genuinely connect? Or should I stop worrying about what everyone thinks and just see where this goes?

TL;DR: I’m 38, met an amazing 24 year old woman organically without knowing her age, and we hit it off immediately. We have a surprising amount in common, she’s educated, independent, and established in her career, and our first date was one of the best I’ve ever had. My only hesitation is the 14-year age gap and how others might perceive it. Am I overthinking this, or is the age difference a legitimate concern?

My wife and I have recently suffered our 2nd miscarriage is as many positive tests (a few months apart)since we’ve started trying in January of this year. It’s been very tough on the both of us. We’re still a few months away from being qualified for any sort of fertility testing.

My wife has a lot of support in this. Her mother, sisters, best friends, and of course myself. In our first miscarriage my sister in laws fiancés knew so he was there for me as much as he could be. This time around my wife only wanted a select few people to know. She has the support she needs, but I have no one this time around.

I’m really struggling right now but I don’t want to burden my wife with having to support me while she’s hurting so much. Out of respect for her I’m not telling anyone what’s happened, which brings me here.

How do I cope with this myself? I’m hurting so much for myself and my wife.

Hey everyone!

Have you ever dated someone who's just ridiculously calm? The kind of person who never seems to lose their temper, doesn't get worked up over stupid things, and stays cool even when everything around them is falling apart?

I've met someone like this, and honestly, I'm fascinated by how she handles things. Even when someone disrespects her or something goes wrong, she just doesn't seem to let it get to her. It's like nothing can ruin her peace. She's in a leadership position, and I've never seen her lose her temper, get visibly frustrated, or let other people's behavior get to her.

When I asked her how she manages to stay so calm, she told me that it's practically impossible to make her angry and that nobody has really managed to do so. According to her, that's simply how she is.

Everybody's saying her bf must be really lucky with her.

It got me wondering what it's actually like to be in a relationship with someone like that.

Does having such a calm partner make your relationship more peaceful, or can it sometimes be frustrating when they're almost impossible to upset?

I'd love to hear your experiences! Are people like this naturally wired that way, or is it something they've learned over time?

Asking because I'm considering doing this and wanna see how it plays out.

When I'm at a bar, guys who approach me usually just chat and if there's some chemistry, they ask me out on a date. No trying to hook up that night.

I'm surprised because I'm genuinely not there for hookups and somehow they seem to notice. I don't dress conservative or look nerdy. I even wear minis.

Meanwhile, my friend dresses pretty much like me but goes there looking for hookups, and she attracts exactly those guys.

So how do men pick up on this I really wonder?

*sorry for my bad english

Whether it was about finances, relationships health, or career. Whats the biggest lesson you had to learn the hard way.

I’ve spent too much time on Reddit in the past few days and noticed some men describing how seeing an attractive woman subconsciously or not, often warrants them fantasizing having sex with said woman. Now, even though I am only 18, I have never had such an experience. I am attracted to women and do get arroused or simply feel a kind of involuntary attraction towards them in daily life. I do also notice their “curves” as some say. But never have I “mentally undressed,” as one Redditor put it or “mentally fucked” someone I found attractive. At most, I feel a kind of deep appreciation, a kind of sudden and brief semi-euphoric feeling or a kind of melting sensation, idk how to describe it.
What do you guys think? Is this a natural reaction, or a result of porn overconsumption, objectification? More interestingly to me, am I the odd one out here?

I don’t mean crazy colors like pink or red I mean going from brown to blonde or highlights etc, in highschool I always see girls doing stuff like that but men not as much

Hi, I’m 25F and I’ve been on my own for more than 3 years now. When I say on my own, I mean it literally like doing every single thing alone because this was the life I dreamt of growing up. I felt, if I have a decent corporate job, a room, have 3 meals a day, have control over cleanliness around me, live minimalistically and travel then I could be satisfied with my life. I’ve achieved most of the things I dreamt of except.. sometimes I wish i had someone with similar aspirations in life but I’ve some issues with social anxiety and inferiority complex.

Are there men who live the same lifestyle but just genuinely need a companionship that’s not sexual?
Maybe nothing makes sense in this post but I just felt like asking here, can’t ask anyone irl

I graduated high school in Texas and moved to North Carolina right after for family reasons. I’ve been a dental assistant since I was 18 (now 21) and work 8–5, sometimes till 6.
I’ve had a hard time making guy friends IRL. Most of my coworkers are women, and online hasn’t worked out much either. I go to the YMCA and have started conversations in the sauna/steam room a few times — even got a couple numbers — but it never turns into hanging out. Growing up mostly around girls, talking to other guys still feels a little awkward sometimes.
I’m into fitness and gaming and open to other stuff. Any advice on how to actually turn these interactions into real friendships, or other things I should try?

I am trying to be better about having a better idea of things I regularly need to do in order to keep my house and car up.

For background, my wife’s tires on her car were very low. I didn’t realize this and my father-in-law made a comment about it. He regularly would check these things for my wife and the rest of the family. My wife was also missing a lug nut, which my father in law spotted.

What are some things I should be doing or checking around the house or car just so I can make sure that everything is shipshape?

Any actionable steps that are not just do something else with your time because obviously that's where the struggle with addiction comes.

I’ve seen men turn their lives upside down all of a sudden( I suspect it wasn’t sudden) and I’d like to avoid that when I get up in age. Thought I’d learn a thing or two from some of y’all.

I once contacted a support hotline during a period when I was experiencing repeated physical, verbal and emotional abuse from a woman I was close to. Things had deteriorated to the point where I was feeling suicidal, and I genuinely needed help.

Instead, I was referred to an abuser intervention programme, with the apparent assumption that I must have done something to provoke the situation.

On another occasion, a woman working on a hotline asked me about my weight and hers. After hearing my answer, she essentially told me, "There's your answer. Now stop wasting our time."

What struck me was how quickly the situation was judged based on physical size, without any meaningful attempt to understand what had actually happened. Currently I am ok.

Need some honest advice here (I’m 23yo)

I think about this so much as an adult male that if my car is making a sound, I go in and say something like ‘yea when I turn right there’s a clicking sound’ and without fail, I’m asked to describe it and I sit there making audible clicking sounds like a fucking psychopath lol

how much of this is yall already knowing what’s probably wrong and just enjoying the moment?

Also, kudos to yall for deciphering the issue based on what info and sounds you receive.

It can be anything, from biographies to fantasy.

Title. Give me the whole truth please

Hey, have you ever had your heart broken by someone you genuinely loved in your early 20s? How did you deal with it, and how long did it take you to feel like yourself again?

I’m talking about a relationship where you’ve been together for two years or more, built a deep connection, imagined a future together, and genuinely believed things would work out.

Then, one day, they leaves, ghosts you, cheats on you, or things simply don’t work out, and you’re left trying to make sense of what happened.

Maybe it was the first time you’d ever loved someone that deeply. You’re trying to build your career, figure out your life, and become an adult, while also dealing with the loss of someone who was a huge part of your everyday life.

How long does it takes to feel okay again ://

A lot of us hear this version, I'm turning 30 in 2 months, over past few years i have gotten less than 10 likes and literally 2-3 dates that fizzled out and one failed relationship which was a product of desperation. I have worked on myself, therapy has helped me improve and grow. I got back on dating apps with high quality pictures, comments are always respectful but its all crickets on every single app. I am fairly well settled and overall a complete person and i have started to meet people through hobbies and hosting very recently in last 2-3 weeks. My mind is still playing games and creating sense of urgency to find partnership, but i think i am ready to let go of th e anxiety and stress of swiping and looking for signals in person and having to read the room and see if you have to initiate and expectation of rejections and courtship if it even goes further. I am ready to let go of this problem from my life, how do i clear my headspace and start living, people who have truly let go, i want to hear about it.