Dating older men can be exciting and fun, but it is not without its potential issues. Experience, maturity and success can be an alluring combination, but there are some potential issues related to the age gap - and ignoring them could spell disaster for your relationship.
Whether you're looking for an older man to offer you financial security or to learn from, there are seven tips you should keep in mind.
There may be times when you both struggle to find topics of conversation, so it's always a good idea to have something ready. The chances are that an older man will be interested in what is going on in the World.
While you don't need to be an expert on current affairs, having a broad knowledge of the main issues will provide you with a mutually engaging subject to discuss.
Don't be afraid to show your ignorance if you genuinely don't follow current affairs; the mere fact that you're taking an interest should be impressive enough.
Dating older men doesn't mean you have to give up all your youthful pursuits. Whether you like to go clubbing, play sports or just hang out with friends, doing these things is important if they make you happy.
And when you're doing them, your older man can be doing the things that make him happy.
EXPERT TIP: Insist on having at least one evening a week to spend with your own friends. Your relationship with an older man might last only a few months, but your real friendships will last a lifetime — and they deserve your full attention regardless of how loved up you are.
Some women who date older men can sometimes feel threatened by the amount of experience and knowledge they have.
However, you might be able to learn a lot about financial matters, career growth and life in general by asking for advice.
This could bring you closer, and it may also be very rewarding for him. Similarly, there will often be issues that you're best placed to address, given your youthful outlook. Asking one another for advice could be crucial during the early stages of your relationship.
Older men often appreciate women who are independent and self-sufficient. These guys have often been in unhappy relationships or marriages in the past, and they won't want to waste any more time taking care of a partner's emotional needs.
Dating older men will usually be easier if you can demonstrate you don't need anyone to get by. Suffocating an older guy during the early stages of a relationship could cause him to start avoiding intimacy. On the other hand, doing your own thing will make the time you spend together so much sweeter.
Talking about your older man's age - even if it is in a positive way - might make him start to feel self-conscious. Over time, these feeling could turn to resentment and embarrassment.
You're not dating older men because they're older; you're dating them because they are mature, sexy and experienced. Age doesn't have to be an issue, but it will soon become one if it's all you can talk about.
Being an attractive young woman will only get you so far. While you might be able to stroke an older man's ego for a short while, he will expect a lot more from you over time.
When you socialise together, don't simply be the good looking woman on the arm of a successful man; be a confident, sexy and engaging person in your own right. He'll find that far more attractive in the long run.
EXPERT TIP: If you find that your older man is telling you what to wear and how to look, the chances are he's treating you as his trophy; something he can show off to his friends. And even if this isn't the case, there is something disrespectful about a man telling a women how to present herself in public.
An older man will probably bring a significant amount of emotional and familial baggage to your relationship. If you're dating a guy with children, you should expect to play some sort of role in their life. Similarly, you might need to deal with an angry ex-partner or two from time to time.
This is something that you should be prepared for. When you enter into a relationship with an older man, you need to show you're willing to embrace the people he cares about. If you ever make him choose, the chances are you'll be the one who misses out.
There's a reasonable chance that your older guy with have interests and friends that are very different from your own.
Don't shy away from this fact; in fact, embrace it! How can you know that you don't like certain things in life if you've never experienced?
And although his friends may not be what you're used to, how do you know you that his friends won't eventually become your friends? By taking these important steps, dating older men should never be something to shy away from.