<p>Among the couples in the slide are:
Rupert Murdoch, 81 and Wend Deng, 43
Director Sam Taylor-Wood, 46 and actor Aaron Johnson, 22
Les Moonves, 63 & Julie Chen, 43
Prince Albert, 54 & Charlene Wittstock, 35</p>
<p>When I was in my early 20s, I dated a guy in his later 30s. We worked at the same large firms in different departments. It was fun. We had a lot in common due to our professional lives and many of the same values. I liked his friends (also his age). I had more in common with him/them than the guys mine own age at work. I admit that I enjoyed the fancy dinners, shows, etc. that we enjoyed together. I was paying off loans, made less money, and he was generous and wealthy! Not sure where it might have gone if I had not gone away to grad school. I do think that the large age difference would have been problematic if the relationship had continued. He was ready to marry and have kids; I was not. And, I believe that at 65, I would not want to be married to an 81 year old. I know that there are exceptions, but most 65 year olds are healthier and more active than most 81 year olds. It was a fun romance, though. I am sure my parents (who had kept any negative thoughts to themselves) were happy to see break it off even though they did like him a lot.</p>
<p>For some reason, once someone hits about 30, the age difference doesn’t seem to be a big deal. 30 and 50 just isn’t so bad, but 20 and 40 or even 20 and 35 or 25 and 45 just seem to be a big difference. A lot of that is my perspective as I see those under 30 all of the time as “kids” that I watched grow up, go to school, now working but still kids to me. It will be interesting what will happen when my oldest crosses the 30 thresh hold. That would mean that I could see them dating 50 year olds!?! Um, probably not. I sure can’t see myself going out with any of them but then I’ll be 60. And looking at my MIL and my mother and others in their 80s, I sure as heck cannot see myself married to someone that age! I guess it’s like boiling a frog slowly. You got build up to it.</p>
<p>But, really, I’m just musing. More dire and important things than age regarding my kids’ SOs. Having an ideal and accepting the reality graciously are not exclusive of each other…</p>
<p>On the subject of perceptions of your kids, when DH had major surgery when he was 48, his mother sat at the side of the bed, stroked his forehead, and said “Darlin’, you’re just a beautiful, PERFECT baby boy.”</p>
<p>Oh, please. Perfect-not by a long shot, and I should know. Baby boy? Uh, no, middle aged man. ;)</p>
<p>The Woody Allen situation was very sad, IMO, not because of the age but because of the relationship. With blended families so much the norm these days, it just ripped a layer off taboos that really need to stay in place to give us some structure in our lives and some safe places. You don’t follow up on "“those feelings” for your stepdaughter any more than you do for your daughter. That Woody Allen is still oblivious as to why there was the uproar with what happened, shows a side of him that is truly not sensible or moral, IMO. </p>
<p>Now Andre Previn, Soon Yi’s father, is married to Anna Sophia Mutter, and the age difference is quite extreme there, and her mother MIa Farrow was in a famous May/Dec relationship with Frank Sinatra. But family integrity and safe zones were not crossed with those relationships. That Woody Allen is stil married to Soon Yi still does not make right what happened there. At his age, he should have ended the relationship with Farrow and then made any overtures to his then would have been former step daughter to have any integrity in the situation. He now has two daughter and I wonder how he would feel if a trusted friend the age he was made overtures to them when they hit 18.</p>
<p>You’re behind the times…Mutter and Previn have been divorced since 2006 (according to Wikipedia). I only found that out because I thought Farrow adopted Soon-Yi after her split with Previn and checked Wikipedia, but you’re right about that. He is her adoptive father.</p>
<p>^^^^I agree with all of the above. I read Mia Farrow’s autobiography, and while Woody deserves the Lion’s share of the scorn, Soon Yi’s actions with her mother’s romantic partner of long standing and her attitude toward Mia when she found out what was going on were really unbelievable.</p>
<p>Gah, I am getting old. I saw Previn and Mutter perform, I guess 10 years or more. She looked very young then, like an ingenue and he was an old, old man and I was shocked. But a quick google shows that it was her second marriage, no idea how old her first husband was, so not quite the ingenue then, though she and Previn are more than 30 years apart in age.</p>
<p>Soon Yi was a teen was she not, 18 or 19 years old when she became involved with Woody Allen, and who knows when that business even started. Yes, I do blame Allen for that whole thing.</p>
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