R o m n e y, P a g e 1 Jessica Romney 11-30-12 ENG 1010-10 Argumentative Essay Kate Kimball Why date someone my own age, when I could have me a Sugar Daddy or Cougar? Does age matter in relationships? Young girls and guys in today s society need to think twice about whom they are dating and the age difference between them. Young people should not date people that are over 5 years older than themselves. It is illegal if you are younger than 18. Do you want your step mom or dad to be the same age as your children? It could lead into some family issues. Finally you have to either keep up or slow down if your partner is 10 years or older then you. Age has been a pretty big issue in relationships. Over the years things have changed about it. If you look back in history you have seen that women have dated, been courted, and have married men older than them. Back then even though they were older than them it really has not been over 8 years older, but if so it was still legal too. One of my arguments is that it is illegal to date someone older then you if you are younger than 18 and your partner is over the age of 18. It seems like it s becoming more common for young girls more than guys dating these older people. I can remember when I was in junior high and this one girl was taking about how she was dating someone who was a junior in high school. When you are younger it seems all cool but then reality hits especially for that older person, thinking about dating someone in college. When these young girls age dating older people they
R o m n e y, P a g e 2 are not realizing the dangers in it and if their parents don t approve or if they did and now your partner has pissed them off they will turn them in. other issue is parents, if parents do not wish their child to see you they can legally block it. Then the police are involved and your partner will be charged with a misdemeanor or worse depending if sex was involved with a minor. You don t have to have sex with her to get in trouble just heavy petting (fondling) or even non penetration or oral sex could get sex charges put on you. (panther10758). This can be a very serious thing. That is why I argue that young girls even guys should not date someone over the age of 18 if they are younger than 18. Each state has very different laws regarding this issue. You will find that here in the state of Utah if sex is involved you have to be over the age of 16 with consent. With that said how would you feel if your mom was dating someone your age or the other way around? Say your son or daughter showed up with a man or women half their age, how would you feel when they told you they are dating? When I asked my parents how they would feel if I did this, they said they would be very angry! I was surprised to hear that. But at the same time I would be angry if they were dating someone my age. What are the motives? I feel that he/she is taking advantage of you that he wants to brain wash you and do what he wants with you. (Mom). In most articles it talks about how when someone older is dating someone younger they are doing it to feel young again. Feel rejuvenated and free. Or it might be a midlife crisis. The idea of the midlife crisis is certainly something that we men face at some point in our live, usually in our forties and fifties. (Dr. Sheck). Why this sudden change? They have lived half their life
R o m n e y, P a g e 3 already don t they know better? Or they are still trying to figure out where life is going to lead them; you have plenty of time, no need to date someone that old. The rejuvenation mystery is about recapturing lost youth, exuberance, energy, and passion. (Dr. Sheck). In some relationships it might work out but in a lot of families it just leads in to different issues that can break a family up. With such an age difference there are issues of power and control. When you start stretching decades and you re talking about young girls, under 19 or so it s probably problematic, ( Bindley) if a young girls is dating an older guys it is harder for her to say no to things because he is older. If they re with a male who has more power and status, this might make it harder for young women to say no. We are seeing more and more of this with in our media and books. It has become more culturally accepted and it will keep growing and growing. From music videos, to porn, to Disney, this is all sits within this bigger culture context of media, as much as we say we re appalled by and concerned by them, there are things out there in the culture that make this happen. Say; (Bindley). It is very true that our culture does affect the way we live life, and how we are taught. But does it make it right? With these age differences would it be hard to keep up or slow down do to your partner? With trying to rejuvenate yourself and becoming young again, the older person in the relationship who might be in their forties or fifties would have to try and keep up with their counter partner. Or if the other way around the younger person might not be able to do what they want. This might be very challenging in the relationship, the older partner is more experienced and has pretty much lived his life and just might want to take it slow and easy. While the younger person wants to be active and travel the world.
R o m n e y, P a g e 4 At this point you guys are on completely different areas in life. One person might be done with school has a steady job and maybe even children. Right know they are set in where they are. This part of a reason why young girls are attracted to older men, they are more mature and set in life. Something that they cannot necessary find with that person their own age. It would be hard for the older person because that younger person is still trying to figure out where they want to go, who they want to be, and how they need to do it. This could lead into the many questions that people have, like are you only dating this person because they spoil you? Sugar daddy where you might or might not care about them as long as they buy you things. You see a lot of that in the media today. For example Hugh Hiphner over the playboy mansion, Ashten Kutcher and Dinean Moore, and Pamela Anderson and that really old guy she was married to. The opposing argument is that age does not matter in relationships. Age is just a number. If we really love each other then it will work out. No matter the issues we can make it work despite what everyone else says. My final answer on the question, Should you marry your much younger partner? If you love that person and want to build a life with together, absolutely! If it is in order to feel younger and better about yourself, absolutely not. (Dr. Shack). Eve n though there might be true love in these relationships, at the say time there are a lot of issues that follow. If you are dating some under the age of 18 and you are over 18 well then that is a problem. You have to also think about the effects it might have on your family. If that person is the same age as your son, daughter, mother, or father will it cause family issues? Where are you guys in your life? With such a gap you guys might be able to do the things you want to do.
R o m n e y, P a g e 5 Work Cited Sheck, Adam. Enchanted by Youth: Why older Men Love Younger Women. Web. 10 th May 2010 Fielding, Sarah. Does Age Difference Matter in a Relationship? Web. 28 th July 2005. Expert Law Web. January 2007 Bindley, Katherine. Younger Women Dating Older Men May Not Foresee Consequences. Web. 30 th June 2011 Eportfolio: http://slcceportfoliojr.yolasite.com it is under COMP