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A lot of things get better with age; dating isn’t necessarily one of them — especially if you’re dating a (much) younger man.

Robert Voets/Warner Bros. Television

Robert Voets/Warner Bros. Television

That’s the dilemma Kenya Moore talks about on The Real today as she explains her beau is “about 16 years younger than me.”

If you’ve followed the Real Housewives of Atlanta star’s love life over the course of her reality TV career you know she’s had a couple of peeks and more than her share of valleys — like dating James Freeman — but this time around she appears happy, telling the talk show hosts:

“Well, it’s been about a year and a half. And you know, we’re still figuring things out. Because my experience is one thing and relationships. And, of course he hasn’t had as much as I have. So… sometimes you know, we lock horns. You know, sometimes I feel like I am trying to be patient and I don’t want to emasculate him. It’s just like, you know, this constant power struggle.”

Asked for a specific example of how her boyfriend’s age affects their relationship, Kenya said she couldn’t come up with one off of the top of her head “because it happens a lot.” But she explained it’s often “little silly things that’m like, ‘If I were dating someone much older. I wouldn’t be fighting about stuff like this.'”

Just to put things in perspective, Kenya turned 45 in January so that puts her man right around 29. Given women in their 20s aren’t even encouraged to settle down with men in their same age bracket always, we can only imagine the questions going through the mind of a woman in her mid-40s who’s in a committed relationship with someone so junior. Kenya may not look a day past 30, but as she said she has the romantic experiences of a 45-year-old woman, and no matter how mature a 29-year-old man is, his experience will be limited by comparison. But, honestly, that could be a good thing.

Baggage can ruin a relationship and a man 15 years younger or more likely won’t have as much — whether we’re talking bitterness, babies, divorce or financial issues. Of course he may be less established professionally, but also less set in his ways. By mid 40, both men and women are pretty clear about what they want out of life and a partner and are far less likely to bend on those wants and needs. Compromise is essential to making a partnership work and by middle age a lot of folks are no longer about that life. Arguments over silly little things like Instagram posts (an example Kenya gave) pale in comparison to getting into it over alimony payments and blended families. Of course a younger man could very well have those issues as well, but there’s less likelihood which could make the other struggles of the age dynamic worth it.

What do you think? Could you date a man 16 years younger than you? Tune in to Kenya Moore’s full segment on The Real  today.

 

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