We often hear the term ‘age is but a number’. And while that may apply to many situations, there are plenty of times when an age gap can be a problem.

Military relationships are nothing like any other relationship a person can get in. Couple that with a significant age gap and you’ve got yourself something very unique.

When you’re meeting peers or seniors

If you’re much younger than your military partner, chances are meeting their seniors or peers will be stressful at times. Remember that military folk have a killer sense of humour, and you could become the punch of someone’s jokes. However, if you are really invested and a good sport the likelihood is that you will figure out a way to win people over.

When it comes to getting married

People have different priorities at different stages in their lives. Someone in their 20s, for instance, may not be looking to get married, while an older partner may be looking for stability. Service personnel will often look for calm waters when they think of relationships because of how extreme their life is otherwise. A much younger person may not be able to make a commitment or even be able to handle the weight of an entire marriage.

Military personnel have been through a lot

While it may seem like military folk always remain young at heart, the truth is that they’ve experienced so much in life that they may actually be a little too wise for their age. In a relationship, it is of paramount importance to be able to connect to your partner in the same way which is why, for some older partners could to be more attractive. They feel better understood in comparison to someone much younger. 

When deciding to start a family

This isn’t a particularly military-focused issue as age plays a role in when people choose to build families. However, it just gets trickier when it comes to people in service. For military personnel, life is constantly on the go. You can get posted anywhere or your partner could disappear for active duty, even at times you don’t anticipate it. For older women, this kind of a situation would hurt plans to have a kid – on the other hand, someone younger wouldn’t be in as urgent a situation. It is important to note that women are having children at later ages more and more these days, so it boils down to how determined you are to start a family with the person you love.

In reality, age is only as big a hindrance as you choose to make it. What you really should do is assess your priorities, and if you can deal with the different situations you might land into because of your military partner’s age then you will be able to find ways to deal with them too.