Should I date a 17 year old guy when I am 13?

13-year-old MJ from California writes:

Dear Chauntel,

There’s this guy that I met but he’s 17 and I’m only 13 he wants to go out but idk if I should because of the age difference. We are always texting 24/7 and he says he doesn’t care about the age difference. I’m not all that new at dating so idk if I should say yes I really do want to he’s really sweet and nice. But also he lives 4 hours away he usually comes on the weekends and we hang out but never alone. When I’m with him I feel like I’m his gf he’s always flirting with me and he’s always saying sweet things..he’s my friends “cousin”..and one of my best friends ….should I date him or not?
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Hi MJ,
I understand your hesitation. This guy is too old for you, and it’s not as much the age difference as it is the maturity level.
Older guys can more easily take advantage of you. I am sure that you are mature in many areas, but when it comes to dating I would like to see you gain some more  more years before you begin dating a guy that is four years older than you. I am sure that he has had much more experience with girls than you have with guys. He will therefore begin to introduce you to things that you may not be ready to encounter yet.
It would be better to find someone who is your age, and who you are able to grow with. The fact that he lives so far is also going to limit your ability to date. I honestly don’t think this is a good idea. You can be friends, but being anything more than that at this point is not a good idea.
If you are completely for this you need to get permission from your parents, but you will be setting yourself up for heartache. Soon he will be 18 and out of high school, and who knows what will happen then. Just save yourself the heartache on this one and date someone closer to your age.
I Hope This Helps!
Chauntel
askchauntel@gmail.com

10 WAYS TO BUILD A NEW SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP – RELATIONSHIP ADVICE – ASK CHAUNTEL

29-year-old James writes:

Hello Chauntel,So, a female friend of mine who frequents your youtube videos suggested i look you up on youtube.  After some convincing I did just that, and i must say, you have some pretty good advice and you give a sound perspective from a reasonable woman (at least you seem reasonable on your videos, lol)….

…a little about me – Somewhat recently there has been some changes in my life, I ended up getting a divorce and basically starting over with a lot of things in my life. In my mind this is one of the worst things that could have happened because I don’t like divorce but it turned out being for the better especially after the truth reared it’s ugly head about my ex-wife. I wasn’t expecting things to pan out that way but they did and I dealt with it and it made me a better man….
…I took some personal time for a while (about a year and a half), I kinda stayed off the “scene” and i have only dated 2 women since I’ve been single. these were both very, very, VERY short lived relationships as i kinda knew right off the back that I wasn’t feelin it too much. Recently I met this VERY nice woman who’s relationship back ground is extremely similar to mine.  She has a lot of qualities that are rare these days and what I’ve been looking for for a long time She is divorced also, and dealt with some unfortunate treatment from her ex as well that she had to overcome. I am really liking what i’m seeing from her so far and we have MANY similar interests and we have a really good vibe together….I don’t want to make something work if it’s just not meant to be BUT from what I can see so far that isn’t going to be an issue. …..for lack of better words, Help me keep this woman… lol
i look forward to your response
Hello James,
I am so glad that things are going well between the two of you. Although, I am not aware of why your past relationship did not work out. I can give you a few general things to consider when looking to make a new relationship last.
I have written 10- Ways to Build a New Successful Relationship. These are for serious relationships.
1. Build a Solid Foundation in Trust
If you take time to build trust in each-other, your relationship will not break or waiver. You should be able to have faith in one another. So that you won’t have to stock each other’s phones, emails, and Facebook accounts.
2. Learn the Value of Compromise
It’s not about you, and it is not about her, it about the “us.” What can “we” do to make both of “us” happy. Sometimes, it is best to let her have her way. I know you are not married to her yet, but think of the saying “Happy Wife, Happy Life.” For you it may be letting her choose where the vacation might be or what color we should paint the bathroom.
It goes both ways for women too. Most of the time, it deals with different topics, though, such as letting you drive the motorcycle even-though it scares her to death. She might choose to let you do it, because she knows you love it, and it will make you happy.
3. Pay Close Attention to Detail and be Compassionate
If she doesn’t want to have sex you should be able to read her body language, and you should not pressure her to do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. Also, you should know when she might need a massage, or when you need to take the spoon from her while she is cooking on the stove, and tell her to have a seat. Maybe slip her a cute little coupon made by you with some cash that says, “Pamper Yourself” Hair, Nails, Be Beautiful!
4. Exercise Active Listening Skills
If she is talking, listen. Don’t just stare at her lips, but actually take time to pay attention to what she is saying. And paraphrase it back to her when she is done so that she knows that she was heard and understood. This provides her with assurance that the two of you are on the same page. Women need a lot of reassurance, it is the emotional part of our being.
 
5. Learn to Communicate Effectively
Even if you don’t want to talk about it, please do. If you don’t it gets worse. However, it is important to know when it is appropriate to have a particular conversation.
 
6. Set Boundaries from the Beginning
The two of you should know your roles. Are you a modern couple or are you traditional. Do you guys go dutch or do you always pick up the tab? Or do the two of you switch off? Do you plan  to have children or are you done with having them? If you do have children where will you live? How will they be raised? Who is the bread winner of the family? Will she want to work or be a stay at home mom? Are you ok with her staying at home? Are you ok with her working?
Can the two of you have friends of the opposite sex? If so what is appropriate with keeping those relationships alive? What are both of your feelings about this?
 
7. Take it Slow but Know Your Limits
In every relationship, at least one person wants to make a serious commitment. Is there a timeframe? Do either of you care? Is it even time to go in this direction, maybe its too soon to think so serious?
The two of you need to know each others limits to some degree. It may be something that is expressed and discussed from the beginning, and it may not, but some type of understanding must be established.
 
8. Be Sure That Both of You are Aware of Each-others Expectations
What are your expectations of her, and what are her expectations of you. Most of these you learn as you go, but some need to be discussed in more detail.
 
9. Talk About the Non-negotiables and Find a Consensus
As you are beginning to get more serious within your relationships, you must talk about your 5 non-negotiables. For example: children, religion, education, career and location…….etc.
 
10. Be a Great Active Listener 
Listen closely to what she is saying and identify the challenges that she is expressing, and do your best to counteract those challenges.
I Hope This Helps!
Chauntel
askchauntel@gmail.com

How to Get a Guy to Like You for You – Dating Advice – Ask Chauntel

Chauntel gives Butterscotch advice on how to get a guy to like you for who you are not how you look! askchauntel@gmail.com

How to Get Over Your Ex – Relationship Advice – Ask Chauntel

Chauntel gives advice on how you can get yourself out of a slum after a long relationship and you feel like you’ve lost yourself. askchauntel@gmail.com

How can you tell if someone cares?

Richard writes:

Hi Chauntel,

I wanted to ask you for advice in finding out if a girl really cares about you? Please notice, I didn’t ask if she likes or loves you, because anyone can claim with their words that they like or love you, but its more challenging to find out if they really care about you with actions or other concrete ways.

Thanks for answering my question.

Hello Richard,

People show that they care through their actions. Just giving you lip service (talking about it) does not mean much.

You have to examine your interactions with them.

Answer these five questions:
1. Does she treat you well?
2. Does she make time for you?
3. Does she include you in her plans?
4. Does she make you feel good when you are around her?
5. Is she willing to compromise on reasonable things to make you happy?

If she doesn’t treat you well, doesn’t make time for you, doesn’t include you in her plans, makes you feel insecure, and is not willing to compromise sometimes to make you happy, then she really doesn’t care too much about you.

One thing that I want you to take note of is people show that they care through different methods. Why? Well it is simple, everyone is different. Some people show that they care buy cooking, some by purchasing a special gift, some by making extra time in their day, some by expressing themselves through music or poetry, and some by physical touch.

There is a book that I would like to recommend to you. It is the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman, and it’s less than $10 bucks. You can pretty much find it anywhere. Don’t get freaked out, I know that you said you didn’t want to use the L word, but face it if you care about someone you usually do love them, not to say that you have to be in love with them.

The 5 Love Languages
The 5 Love Languages

I hope you find what you are looking for.

Be Blessed,

Chauntel

How to Overcome Jealousy in a Relationship – Relationship Advice – Ask Chauntel

Chauntel explains to Rob what he must do now that he has shown himself too jealous. Been in this situation? Watch! askchauntel@gmail.com

Should I Break-up With My Children’s Father? – Relationship Advice – Ask Chauntel

Hey Guys!

Here is a video that I posted on youtube a while back. I hope you enjoy!

Video Description:
Chauntel explains what she should do? Should she leave her children’s father of 10 years?

Does he like me? – Dating Advice – Ask Chauntel

Anna writes:

Hi Chauntel,

Okay so there’s this guy at work and my brother also works there and he randomly told the guy that I liked him.. After that he kinda started teasing me copying what I say, spraying water at me, calling me names but he’s always smiling he seems to joke with every body but when we are alone he will start telling me information that I didn’t ask for like him and his girlfriend broke up and why. I added him on Facebook and he started teasing me on there a little bit and the next time we were at work he made a comment like “what are you stocking me now you added me on Facebook” he was laughing when he said it.. So my question is do you think he likes me I’m starting to really like me but I don’t want to waste my time on another person who doesn’t like me every one at work seems to think we like each other and the guy keeps asking if my brother and mom age still making jokes about people thinking we like each other so do you think he might like me or if he’s just joking around to make the time go by faster and should I make a move or let him make the next move.

Hi Anna,

It seems like he is interested in you. Guys don’t spend time talking to girls and being playful when they don’t have any interest in them.

As far as you waisting your time, you work with the guy so I doubt talking to him is such a waste of time. From the information that you have provided, I cannot confirm or deny if he likes you. However, I do encourage you to explore this more.

There is no harm in making time outside of work to hang out. That will give you a better feel for what is going on between the two of you. He could either be playfully flirting with you, or he could just be a funny guy who likes to play around often.

Please keep in mind that dating this guy could get really gummy. One, he seems to have a relationship with your brother. If you guys break-up and he and your brother are still friends that could be awkward. Also, you work together, and I am weary of matching business with pleasure. If it doesn’t work out between the two of you, you will still have to see him at work. It’s totally your call on if you want to take the risk of dating this guy and it being awkward on the chance that it doesn’t work out because of your ties to each other.

The best thing to do in this situation is spend some time getting to know him before you choose to leap right into  a relationship with him that you didn’t really want but were just curious about.

Take this thing slow, and choose wisely.

I Hope That Helps!

Chauntel

askchauntel@gmail.com

http://www.askchauntel.com

VIDEO: Is she interested? – Dating Advice -Ask Chauntel

How to Not be a Rebound – Ask Chauntel

Terrance writes:

Dear Chauntel,

Ok so I started dating this girl right after she broke up with ger BF of two years, we’ve been going together for a month and I fell in love with her, I dont want to get hurt, what to do…

Hi Terrance,

Coming into a new relationship with someone when they have just come out of one can be difficult.

It takes a lot of patience on your part because you have to be understanding of what she is feeling. Beyond that you must also be aware that she may or may not be in the best emotional state to be receiving a relationship.

With all that in mind how can you ensure that you don’t get hurt and don’t end up a rebound? You cannot. However, you can take these precautions.

If you feel that the person that you are in the relationship is not ready for commitment, don’t try to pressure them into it. Guard your heart as much as you can while you wait it out. It will be easy for them to throw themselves into their new relationship and ignore what they are feeling from their past relationship. It is up to you to be aware of that, and take things slow.

Don’t rush into anything serious until you are confident that they have left their last relationship in the past. If you build a friendship with your lover slowly you will be in tune with what they are feeling. When you feel that youchauntelavatar are both on the same level of thinking and feeling then the two of you can slowly start moving into a more committed relationship, but not before.

I Hope This Helps!

Chauntel

Send your questions to askchauntel@gmail.com

http://www.askchauntel.com