Is it normal to have friends in different age ranges?

[Anonymous]

[hello4433]

Yes, but depends on how big the gap is

[hello4433]

Thanks for MHO

[Avicenna]

Yeah, depends a lot on age though

[Asker]

True

[mistixs]

As an adult, yes, but you’re 14 so if you’re becoming friends with adults outside of your family then that’s typically a red flag (there are some exceptions).

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

At 14yo, even people 16yo were looking too old, too uncanny to me. Off-limit. So, no friendship, not even slightly blending with them. My trusted friends were my age.

At 16yo, I started talking to, loosely, people aged 20, 25, even 30. Neither of them were friends, they were just accointances, a decor. I wasn't trusting them for friendship. I saw how much difference there was between us, they were living in their own worlds according to their age. They faced struggles and views that were bizarre to me, but I listened, because I was curious about the strangeness of this all. I listened and that's about it. My trusted friends were my age.

At 18yo, I was talking to everyone of any age ranges, often enough. Yet, my trusted friends were my age.

At 45yo, I have trusted friends or the level below, trusted buddies, aged between 20 and 65. So I don't know about normalcy, I know my story. In this story I trusted my guts. And I was a boy. In youth, befriending with people of different age ranges gives notoriously darker results for girls.

[Finchie40]

Yes, to some people it ‘s weird but not everyone thinks that way , I have friends’ from all ages , mainly because I don’t hold age as a deciding factor factor when I meet someone that is cool and polite to me
, I do the same thing with girls’ to a certain extent. I have dated older and younger girls’ because age doesn’t really matter to me , the chemistry and connection and attraction we have for each other is all that matters , I do draw the line for underaged girls’ but if she is legal age of consent that’s all
That matters to me.

[Apulu_backagain]

When I was your age and in this site, I had loads of friends of different age range.

But most of them were nasty people. I have like 2 really genuine adult friends on here now. So yeah, it is normal to have friends in different age range but you need to be careful to not make the wrong person 'normal' in your life.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Can you talk about your history please, what made these people nasty?

[Apulu_backagain]

@Maybe_Maybe_not

Back in 2022, there was this 48 year old guy from America. He had some 9 year old kid and was a single father. So he really wanted to raise a daughter too and I was like a daughter figure to him, at least that's what he said. We actually went along well, our conversations mostly surrounded celebrity discussion, life in America (those days I was really big on study in ivy league so I was curious how life was there) and sometimes about our lives too. Like I would tell him when I had my online tests and he would tell me funny things he and his son did. It was actually quite nice for sometime and he called me 'sweat pea'. But then he started asking weird questions after around 4-5 months of me knowing him. Like 'What would you do if I were infront of your doorsteps right now?'. To that I replied 'Introduce you to my dad and be like, dad he's my online dad lol'. But then he became even more weird and asked 'I mean what would you do if I were standing right behind your door and you were alone at home?'. I didn't reply to that and because I was kid I just ignored that too. Then we again texted about stuff and he sends me a picture, he looked like a typical obese and white American. And he tells me to share my picture too, I was skeptical about it but I sent a selfie and then he straight up started texting me disgusting things he would do to me when I go to America and that's when I blocked him and said PrettyPriya (she was a mod back then and she was quite nice) all about it. That guy never disturbed me after that.

[Apulu_backagain]

@Maybe_Maybe_not

And there was some dude who was claiming that he knows my mom and that my mom is cheating on my dad with him and I freaked out really bad because I was 13. And he was suggesting me to start sexting him him to keep this a secret or he'll say my dad. But I used my mind and asked me that my mom is going to Mumbai next day so did they decide to meet there too, and he said yes... but my mom never planned to go Mumbai by herself. So I blocked him.

And there was another guy, he wasn't particularly nasty but he surely was careless. But he was quite respectful and maintained boundaries. We had conversations on various topics, from space to gaming to trains and history and what not. But the only time convenient for us was night time and we texted till 1-3 am almost all nights and this continued from 2021 to 2024. But then I blocked him off my life by saying how sleep deprived I'm and it is messing up my school life and how he kind of had this grip on me so I wasn't even able to say I couldn't continue these night talks. I'm kind of feeling bad now because he was the odd one in his family and he didn't really have close friends and not many people liked him because he was very straightforward and super serious, you can't have that hearty and funny conversation with him. Texting him was like attending a lecture by itself but thanks to him, I did learn a lot of stuff. However this happening during my prime years of puberty probably stunted my height because of hours of sleep deprivation.

And there are many more but I'm lazy to type,

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

This first testimony, about the 48yo guy, is atrocious. Even more when looking at how it took him 4 months to get to that. It is what I suspected when I asked and some truth I wanted to face.

So thank you a lot, It's a lot of darkness for a kid to process I hope you were able to deal with this event as healthily as possible

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

About the second guy, you have no responsibility to take for him. He was adult, and whether not he has troubles in life, it is not because of anything you did or didn't. It is his life and you have yours. You did nothing wrong, it's the opposite, you did the right thing by breaking free.

[Apulu_backagain]

@Maybe_Maybe_not

There were actually so many early signs from that 48 year old dude. Like once he said that if he found a girl with half of my qualities then he'll be down bad for her, I just feel really bad for his son (if he really had one, who knows whether he was lying or something). I was also really dumb and willingly ignored those weird signs because I sort of looked up to him. But if I encounter someone like that again I'll trust my instincts before anything else.

This society just lacks trustable adults whom kids can look up to, that's kind of sad.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Oh come on, no, it isn't right for a 14yo kid to bash herself because she didn't spot the signs. It is not dumbness. It is just normalcy, what it must be. Because you're not supposed to live, to delve in the world of adults at 14, you're supposed to live and react accordingly to a world matching your age instead. That would be right, in my eyes.

Trustworthy adults as a kid, well, when things are right, that's supposedly the role of your parents. Really, really not the role of random people of random countries. As a matter of fact, we're having this conversation right now because this platform, because internet allows teenagers+adults chats but, in my book, it's really, really not a good idea to have these worlds blending uncontrollably.

It's a disastrous idea. And adults are responsible for that. Not kids.

[Apulu_backagain]

@Maybe_Maybe_not but then I don't regret being here, when I was suicidal and posted an anonymous questions many nice adults helped me out. If anything, this website showed me how real world is, a mix of danger and goodness.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Ugh, okay I cannot contradict your experience. Then I'm glad you found at least something good in the mix :)

[grungeberry]

Yes and no? Maybe it’s a little too normal. How large is the gap? To me, a friend is a peer that can relate to where you are in your life in that instance. Teenagers to teenagers. Adults to adults. Etc. Just be careful of the groomers who try to be your “friend”. For examples, you being a 14 year old can’t really relate to a 6 year old or a 28 year old, right?

[Asker]

Pretty much right

[TheDraconianJester]

I say it's normal, just make sure that you're careful with those who are younger than you are (if you're older), and careful with those who are older than you are (if you're younger).
I'm friends with quite a few people, primarily met through gaming. A small handful of them are younger than me, and so I make sure not to joke/talk about certain topics with that age group. But overall, I'd say it's normal.

[zagor]

I think so. I stayed friendly with a boss even though a) he was older than my parents and b) he fired me when I was in my mid-twenties. He was just an interesting character and I needed to leave that job anyway. I've also had friends who were just out of college when I was in my thirties.

[Staximus]

I always made friends with old people when I was a kid riding my bike around the neighborhood. My oldest friend recently was my friend's grandpa. He just died last year and was 97. I used to make him cigarettes because he was complaining about the price of them.

[WhitneySnow]

It’s normal, but be careful that friends who are adults are really your friends and don’t just want to have sex with you. Especially online this is a big worry.

[HawkPerception]

Yes. Especially as you get older, you start to get friends in all age brackets. It's only in elementary school and high school when you have a very limited mindset.

[WonderingManII]

I've seen it happen. But it don't seem to happen very often. The internet is a little different. But I'm not sure anyone is truly a friend online.

[On_cloud_wine]

I mean my fave people are older and wiser. It’s completely normal in my eyes. When we die, age won’t even exist in the after life

[ohsheeT]

I don't think so I mean since I was young I have every age group friend. And it's been that even to this day

[PessicaJeter]

Yes, that's pretty normal tbh. Still, watch yourself, especially on sites like this since you're still quite young.

[DrPepper12]

Yes when those friends are parents of your kids friends, coworkers, ex coworkers, neighbors, fellow hobbyists, etc. totally normal & should be the norm & encouraged

[Nikki1989]

Sure. I have good friends from 16 to people in their 60s and 70s.

[MysteriousDarkness]

@Nikki1989
So you regularly hang out with 16 year olds? If it is a sister or niece is one thing as long as it isn't over done but other than that it will come across as creepy.

[Nikki1989]

@MysteriousDarkness No, I don't hang out with 16year-olds, but I know some. It is not unusual for people to have teenage kids.

[Desi_Butcher]

Absolutely normal. I hardly find alike people in same age.

[Asker]

Right

[Likes2drive]

Yeah depends on how old you are though, at my age I’m friends with people much younger and much older but when you’re young you won’t have much age ranges

[Zylos]

I was friends with my great uncle. He was 42 years older than me.

[WhiteThought]

Yes. It's a little unorthodox when you are a kid, but after a certain point, we are all adults going through the same problems.

[exitseven]

sure. what is not normal is to have all your friends ten years younger than you are.

[LiamS95]

Yes, if you want to broaden your experiences and your access to knowledge obtained through lifes varied experiences

[MannMitAntworten]

Yes. Most of mine are a lot older or a lot younger. Few are near my age.

[Wise4myage]

Personally, I think its totally fine, just be careful.

[dean55au]

It's normal for me, always had friends with various ages

[Kingofkings1992]

When you get older, yeah. Not so much when you’re a teenager

[Asker]

True

[Aigag]

It’s normal but for a minor like you I don’t consider it normal

[FreyaRed]

Yes, but I have them in one color.

[Purpleronnie]

Well that depends on your definition of age range

[Lynx122]

Yes for me it was important :)

[Agape93]

Within reason.

[wkhan_87]

Age doesn't matter in friendship

[Asker]

I guess

[Arcadian222]

Ofcourse. Its even more fun

[Kelly6]

@abbiii normal and healthy

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Sure but I'm talking about real friends.

[Josef_89]

Yes, you learn life faster

[Asker]

Lol ok

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's completely normal.

[AlenAHHHH]

Depends

[Miristheiss]

Yes.

[slatyb]

yes it is

[jamesgoldman]

Absolutely

[In_Trance]

Yes it is

[Asker]

Pjay

[AndrésC64]

Yes.

[LiamJHayden]

For me, yes.

[Awantika03]

Normal

[cavedweller1973]

I think it’s. Cool

[jimmy2]

I think so