-What attracts anyone to anyone? We talked. We laughed. We had common interests in movies, books and music. Despite the age gap, we had extremely similar life events that we could bond over. We're both writers and would spend hours critiquing each other's work. I realized that the age gap only dawned on me when I purposely thought about it, otherwise, it never entered my mind. It was the same for her. We just clicked.

-I have about an even mixture of male and female friends and of course upon initial reveal of her age, all of them thought, "Oh, she's young." I would acknowledge that and move on and they did the same. After they all met her, it wasn't an issue. She fit right in and everybody welcomed her with open arms. Granted, they may have been just nice to her face but my friends, of all people, have no qualms with shattering my world if they think it will benefit me and no one has objected in the slightest. They all love us together.

-My girlfriend posted this thread without my knowledge so, she's the one specifically looking for advice. I want her family to accept me, as I've said, for her benefit mostly. I can let it go and I have for the most part. But I continue to try for her. I understand that there may always be an underlying, I don't know, wariness from the family. But I would hope that they could recognize that she's happier now than she's been in years. I would hope they would listen to her friends (all of which are in support of us as well) when they say, "He's so good for her. Give him a chance." I would just hope for one tiny olive branch. Because despite Reddit thinking I'm a mentally ill, child molesting, broke loser, I love this girl and I will continue to work for her benefit as long as we both feel the same.

Additionally, thank you for not being a dick. It helps.