I'm currently 30, and dating someone 24 years my senior.

The challenges are when we go out in public. People immediately judge, and assume.

We went to a restaurant and the waiter was fantastic until the end. He came out and made a joke, talking to my girlfriend and said "would you like anything for dessert besides him?" She was offended and responded "I can't be his dessert?"

To give a picture, we were sitting at a four person table that was against a wall, and we were sitting across from each other in the chairs furthest from the wall. The waiter came out with the check and instead of putting it down between us, he reached around her, and placed it next to her. He assumed, for whatever reason, that she was paying.

Her friends are another ongoing challenge. They all judge me, as if I'm there to take advantage of her, and it takes a while for them to warm up to me.

Age.Where we are in life is an a huge struggle. I'm not where I "should" be in life, at 30, just going to college, and no career path in my immediate future. She's in a good job, financially stable, and looking to retire. We've talked about the future and she wants someone to grow old with. She's worried that at 74, I'll be 50, and will be embarrassed to be with her, etc, etc. Because of her job, she regularly has black tie events to attend, or events for executives of a fortune 50 company. It gets awkward when I feel like I can't hold a conversation with the people around me.

The list goes on and on.

However, she unknowingly has made me become the man that I have always dreamed of becoming. When I'm at her place, I'm always helping her kids out (they're in their teens), I'm helping her out, and always looking for things to be done.