Age gap relationship discourse will never die. I’m convinced that we will be sitting in the nursing home someday, debating whether it’s a power imbalance for an 89-year-old and an 81-year-old to be with each other. For the record, it absolutely is, and any couple who is that age should be ashamed of themselves, especially the elder elder. 

I’m joking around, of course. I think once you’ve reached a certain age, the vast majority of age gaps can be worked through, especially when there are less than ten years between the pair. I understand why a 25-year-old dating a 35-year-old might not work out because of their ages, but there are also a million other reasons why a relationship might crumble that have nothing to do with the number of years they’ve spent on this earth. For instance, the couple that’s the subject of recent Twitter discourse has been labeled a toxic age-gap relationship, but when you read their story, it’s clear that something far more harmful is at play.