What's Worse: A 30-Year Old Dating an 18-Year Old or Bill Belichick Dating His Current Girlfriend

When it comes to a 72-year-old man dating a 25-year-old woman, I have to admit it makes me uncomfortable. I can’t understand how either person in the relationship justifies it. For the older man, how do you not view your much younger partner as someone closer to a grandchild? How do you not feel as if you are crossing some moral boundary? And for the 25-year-old, how do you explain dating someone older than your father—someone who may need a blue pill to get his dick up? The whole situation just doesn’t sit right with me. But as the saying goes, "age is just a number," right?

While I’m not a fan of relationships with such significant age gaps, I must admit I’d rather see a 72-year-old man dating a 25-year-old woman than a 30-year-old man dating an 18-year-old. And yes, I’ve seen that before, and it’s absolutely disturbing. How can a 30-year-old date someone who isn’t even legally allowed to drink alcohol? You would think a red flag would go up when your partner needs a fake ID just to order a drink. But apparently, not everyone feels that sense of discomfort.

Although I find both scenarios unsettling, I do believe the latter is worse. When a 72-year-old man dates a 25-year-old woman, at least the younger partner has lived a little beyond high school and gained some life experience. She’s likely to have a better understanding of relationships, boundaries, and how to fuck. On the other hand, an 18-year-old is still, in many ways, a child. Yes, 18 is the legal age of adulthood in many places, but we all know maturity doesn’t magically appear on your 18th birthday. An 18-year-old is typically fresh out of high school and just beginning to figure out life. They are far more vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation.

If my own 18-year-old child were dating a 30-year-old, I would be in jail. The age gap may not seem as extreme as the one between a 72-year-old and a 25-year-old, but the developmental stages of an 18-year-old versus a 30-year-old are worlds apart. 

So, while I still find Bill’s relationship questionable, at least his 25-year-old partner has likely navigated more of life’s challenges and is more equipped to make informed decisions about her relationships. Congrats, Bill—maybe you’re not the biggest creep in the world. But let’s be real: just because one situation is less disturbing doesn’t mean it’s free from scrutiny. At the end of the day, relationships with large age gaps will always raise eyebrows and appear gross to most.