I'm 17 almost 18 and my boyfriend is 16

Yes, I know I'm going to college ect. I love my boyfriend very much though and I'm having issues with my friends putting him down! They do it right in front of him when I walk away.

They seem to feel that since he's an underclassmen he deserves to be treated like crap! I don't get this?! He is extremely mature, extremely intelligent [4.1 GPA unweighted *girly sigh*], and accepts and loves me for who I am and not my age.

I need advice. These are my friends I've been with throughout all of high school and have grown to love. The ONLY reason they pick on him is because of his age and it's been going on since we started dating.

Recently it has gotten worse because he is becoming more involved in high school and we're getting ready to graduate ....advice???

I'm in the same boat. Well, in a different way.

The guy I adore is +3 years older than me. So that sets him at nineteen, and I'm nearly seventeen (five months to go). I'm also graduating High School early since I'm doing my junior and senior year in one year. I'm very mature for my age, as well.

Yes, but it's socially looked down upon. But I know other couples that have a three year difference, and they're in their twenties/thirties and nobody seems to have trouble with that.

So you're not alone. It seems age difference in the teens is very exaggerated.

Age is a weird thing.  I'm 35 and my boyfriend is 48.  My best friend is 35 and her boyfriend is 25.  Her boyfriend's Dad is the same age as my boyfriend.  It doesn't stop us all getting along together though.

My Mum is 3 years older than my Dad but as they are in their 60's it means nothing, but my Dad's Dad treated my Mum as the scarlet woman when they first got together.  It wasn't until my older brother was born that he started to realise that they were in it for the long haul.

Maybe your friends are just jealous that you've got yourself a toy boy. 

Remember you are only as old as the person you feel!

i'm 16 in grade 11 and my boyfriend's 14 in grade 9 :|

everyone seems to like him just fine except my BEST friend ironically.

sucks.

Same deal. I'm 17. I'll be 18 in August. I'm going off to college. And my boyfriend is 16. 17 next week, though. He's a junior. My friends occasionally make comments like, "Oh my God, you cradle robber". But they don't really have a problem with him. And my best friend thinks he's cute. :)

xxbonitaxlatinax, is your boyfriend a sophomore? I'm a senior in high school and one of my friends is dating a sophomore, and I don't have a problem with it, but she does take some crap for it. I actually love the sophomore class in general at my school. I have a boyfriend, who is my age and who I love very much etc., but one of my best friends, a sophomore boy, has (sometime in the past few months) become like madly in love with me or whatever. And it's all very confusing. I guess I'm wondering if you find that there are any other sophomore/senior boundaries (especially when the girl is older for some reason) besides friends' reactions? I just feel like if I were to date one (and maybe this is just me?) that it would be difficult just because the two year difference in high school, though it hardly matters at all ten years down the road, is tough because what with college and adolescence in general, two years can mean that you are in very different places in life/the universe/whatever

i dated a boy a year younger than i am for a few years and i never had any issue with it.  it was a little weird when i went off to college and he was a senior, but he would just come up and stay for the weekend, so it was fun for a while.  

now, i'm dating a boy 2 years older than i am who is about to graduate college!  i feel like we're sort of in different spaces right now, but i'm hoping it will work out for a bit longer! :)

i'd talk to your friends about it.  its not really a very friendly thing.  otherwise, try not to let it bother you and keep reminding yourself about all of the incredible qualities he has whenever you feel confused or down about it.  have you talked to your boyfriend about it?  what does he think?

I'd advise you to remind your friends that the whole taboo about not dating guys younger than you is a total double standard, probably causedby the fact that we live in a patriarchal society where in a relationship the female is always expected to be inferior to the male ... I'll stop before I go off on a feminist rant. ;-) If the roles were reversed and you were dating a guy a year older than you, or even 5 years older than you, people wouldn't bat an eyelid.

 To be honest, it's more to do with your friend's insecurities than it is to do with them actually feeling weird about it. High school is such a high-pressure environment that every time you go up a year you feel like you've entered a whole new level of maturity, and often people try to secure that level of maturity by picking on younger students. I'm not saying your friends do it on purpose as I have no doubt that they're really nice people, it's just one of those mentalities that I think are sometimes unavoidable.

On that note, I'd like to congratulate you on not getting stuck into that kind of thinking and for loving your boyfriend for who he is rather than how old he is.

Good luck!

seriously dont worry about it or let it get to you! My best friend is nearly 18 and i dont think she has ever been out with someone her age or older infact! She seems to just go for younger boys but there isnt anything wrong with it! people are just different, im 18 and my boyfriend is 22 but acts like a 12 year old! I think if your friends are putting you or your boyfriend down full knowing how mcuh you two like each other then you should take a look at your friends because real friends are there to support you and be happy for you. Turn around one day and tell them that if they try and say anything else to or about your boyfriend then theyre going to lose a friend. To be honest your friends a probably envious that you can make it work with someone younger and that you are actually happy. Chances are deep down theyre all miserable and lonely even if they are with someone from the sounds of it i doubt they are happy. They should learn how to be friends and stop being children. All the best for you and your lad!