I could be overreacting, but my friend is a 24-year-old woman, and she’s “dating” a 47-year-old man she met at a college event. He isn’t a graduate of our college, and his daughter isn’t a student here. I know my friend is an adult, but she’s very naive and slightly mentally challenged, and again, this guy doesn’t have a reason to be at our school. He has a daughter who’s 22, and it’s very creepy to me that he sees someone close to his daughter’s age as a partner. I tried explaining to my friend that it’s not a good idea, but she told me she “prefers older men.”
That is weird to me because she’s been dating people her age or younger since I have known her. She also hasn’t told her mom about him and that also strikes me as a red flag. I know it is her life but I HATE to see what he might do to her.
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She’s 24 years old, not 17.
She’s a grown adult, friend. Maybe an inexperienced grown adult, but still a legal adult. Ergo, there is no “grooming” going on here.
Also it’s incredibly gross and ableist of you to infantilize your friend by saying that she’s “slightly mentally challenged” and implying that that means that she’s incapable of making her own decisions or living her own life. She was competent enough to get into college and is clearly competent enough to stay in college, therefore she is competent enough to date whomever she pleases and handle any relationship fallout that might happen.
If you really cared about your friend, you wouldn’t be posting on Reddit insulting her and talking about her like she’s a child. You would approach the situation like another grown adult and express your concerns to her, without trying to force her to make any decisions, and letting her know that you would be there for her if she ever needs you.