My boyfriend is 20 years older than me - are we doomed?

For a while now I've been pondering the question: Do men, much like wine and cheese, get better and more mature with age?  Does partnering up with someone who has more life and love experience equal a more mature and mutually-satisfying relationship? Maybe the women aiming for the higher numbers are actually onto something here.

"There's a pretty big age gap between me and my boyfriend. We haven't been going out very long and I can already sense some people are judging it. I really like him, but are people right - will it just fail?"

It seems convenient that I had your question ping into my inbox just as I was contemplating the answer to these questions. What you wanted to know is, is it wrong to date a man that's much older than you? And will it ever REALLY work out in the long-run?

There isn't a 'one size fits all' answer to this. One person's dream relationship is another's nightmare. Someone's ideal man is another woman's Trump. And if you've asked your friends for advice, only to be met with a barrage of unhelpful comments like:  'DID you know that when you were 3 he was 23 hahahah?' *yes, I also passed year two maths thanks Susan*, or: 'Well what's he want with someone half his age eh?', then the best thing you can do, especially if you're feeling confused or stressed about a situation, is to have a mental declutter.

 By this I mean take out of the equation what other people are saying, and think for a second about what's really important to YOU. 

Ask yourself these questions for a start...

Do you and your other half share common interests?

Does he fit well into your life?

Do you find it easy to do activities you both enjoy together? (read: does he tactfully avoid throwing a mantrum (man tantrum - use it, it's a great phrase) when you flick the channel over to Real Housewives of Atlanta?)

Do you feel comfortable with and around each other?

Are you both 'on the same page'?

Do you see the relationship going in the same direction?

If you've confidently answered yes to all or most of these questions, then you've answered your original question for yourself. A relationship is only wrong if YOU feel it is and it only won't work if YOU go into it thinking it won't. If you feel you're getting love and respect from your partner, then great. He's a keeper. And even if he doesn't know what a Kardashian is (not the worst thing), or that Kanye West isn't, in fact, a postcode - who cares? Life is too short not to be with the person that makes you happy.

This advice goes for anyone pondering over an age-related dilemma - though let me just clarify that I'm thinking a George and Amal Clooney type thing here, not an Ezra and Aria situation*. Consensual age is key to this advice. 

*Hello reader. If you're not aware, or keep up to date with the Liars, Ezra and Aria are the names of a couple on the exceptionally addictive Pretty Little Liars Series. She was 16 when she met and began a fling with her 23-year-old teacher. Tut Tut.