Is it just me or does this seem to be happening a lot?

My stepmother is 12 years older than me. That age difference in and of itself can make things really interesting. I resented the fact that she really wasn't that much older than me compared to many of the other adults in my life.

I figured out that it was best to make the best of the situation and treat my stepmother with the same respect I showed to every other adult in my life. And as I became an adult, I figured it would be best to treat her with the same respect I'd show any other fellow adult.

The lack of age difference doesn't bother me like it did when I was a kid. I've grown used to it and have discovered that the best way to adapt to these changes and situations is to treat everyone involved with respect. The more I did that, the more I got used to it.

Some of you have SMs who aren't much older than you. Some of you have SKs fairly close in age to you. Some of you are younger than your SKs.

It affect celebrities too. Look at Anna Nicole Smith and her first husband. She was a lot younger than his kids. Heather Mills is 4 years older than Stella McCartney. Heather had problems with Stella. She seemed to get along better with Paul's other kids. Anna Nicole Smith's SKs didn't like her too much either. In the eyes of Stella McCartney, her former SM was a gold digger. Anna Nicole's SKs thought she was a gold digger too.

What does the lack of an age difference have to do with this? I doubt these SKs would have called women closer in age to their dads who got in relationships with said dads "gold diggers."

I think these SKs are perfectly entitled to have and form their own opinions. We all do it. However, they should find a way to make the best of the situation. Get counseling, exercise, call a friend and vent. Most of these dads aren't so old and senile that they can't realize when they're being taken advantage of. Maybe these dads and their much younger partners genuinely love and like each other. If that is the case, and SK doesn't like SM, that is fine, but the SK would be better served to find another, more healthy way of venting and releasing tension, like exercising frequently, getting counseling, and/or calling a friend for support.

PS- If I ever called my stepmother a gold digger, my father's feelings would be hurt like he11. If I ever used the lack of age difference as an excuse to treat her like he11, my father's feelings would be hurt like he11. At the end of the day, it's much better for EVERYONE (including SKs) to simply treat all others with civility and respect.