Dating when you are older is a tricky thing isn’t it ……you’ve got your dating apps to struggle with , the swiping the matching or whatever the heck you do , then risk of ghosting , social media etiquette, baggage , and probably a million other little things but let’s not worry about that , once you’ve met Mr Right , Mr Right now or Mr ‘okay you’ll do for a bit’ there’s another thing to consider
What do you call him ?
No I’m not talking about wether he is Mr Snuggly Bunny , Mr Sexy bum or Mr Poopsie Patoootie (you can have those names on me okay , you’re welcome) I’m talking about the B word
Can a man in his 40s or 50s still be called a ‘boy’friend ?
He’s not a boy , he’s hopefully a man and has been for many years , boyfriend sounds like you are 14 and asking your friend to pass notes in class , it conjures up the image of young love , maybe into the late 20s or early 30s at the oldest but definitely not as you get towards the half century and beyond
What are the alternatives ? ‘Partner’ to me always sounds like you are solicitors or architects setting up a business together , way too formal and staid
‘Other Half’ , well we were whole people before we got together , we weren’t half missing so this is a weird one for me . It implies you’re not a proper person unless you are joined with another
‘The old man’ , ‘him indoors’ - no , it’s not the 1960s , these don’t work at all
A Google search threw up , ‘Beau’ , ‘Significant Other’ , ‘Beloved’ and ‘Suitor’ amongst others which are all very good if you are the heroine in a romance novel but a bit flowery for the 21st Century as
‘Boo’ , ‘Bae’ , ‘Manfriend’ , ‘Steady’ and ‘Squeeze’ , no , just no , not even going there
My Gramps ‘stepped out’ with a lady friend when he was in his 70s , he did refer to her as ‘his lady friend’ or his ‘companion’ , she was someone who accompanied him to functions , dances and other social occasions rather than anyone particularly romantic in his life but companion makes me think of being escorted by a carer rather than a lover !
I think the only term that’s even slightly appropriate for me is ‘my fella’ , it’s not ideal , it could be better but it’ll have to do I guess and let’s be honest it’s better than ‘my boyfy’ anyway !! Xx
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