6 things to remember when dating a younger woman

How to make your relationship work when you and your beloved are separated by a more than a decade.

If the age difference between you and your girlfriend is more than five years, there are certain things men need to be aware of so that they can get the most out of a relationship, which is exhilarating, yet at times, demanding, and one that needs a bit more sensitivity and flair on your part as the older one in the relationship.

Treat her like an equal: You might feel, at times, the weight of the wisdom you've acquired through the years and want to take charge, but make sure you're not condescending. Dating expert Ankit Anubhav says younger girls might be gullible, but they're not dumb, and treating them any different is a turn-off. He adds, "There needs to be mutual respect.Without that, you're just trying to take advantage of the situation and it may never come off well.Being patient, yet non-serious and non-judgmental is important." (Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images)

Don't flaunt the cash: You, being the older one in the relationship, will surely be better off financially, but flaunting all the dough isn't necessarily a good thing. Dating expert Rahul D'sa feels there needs to be a balance when it comes to spending."Flaunting cash is a short-term thing. Girls might fall for it, especially the college-going ones. But the moment the guy stops doing that, most girls think he has stopped loving them and somewhere down the line, he may also stop showering attention." D'sa says if both of you want to be on the same page, you need to have an unspoken line of what amount of cash to splurge on each other. (Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images)

Don't hide past relationships: If you've lived more, chances are, you might have stuff you may want to come clean about. If not immediately, then sometime later when things start getting serious, you might want to reveal the divorces break-ups that you went through, if it's going to affect your life. Says Abhijit Naik about his relationship with his fiancee, "We have a 10-year age gap and I went through a bad marriage in the past.I was open about it from the time we started dating two years ago. So when it was time to propose, I didn't have to face a tough situation." (Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images)

Be non-intrusive: If you are already dating, the generation gap might not be too much of an issue, but remember that it does exist. Says dating expert Ankit Anubhav, "When you're dating a younger girl, know that she's from a different generation. Things are changing quickly now. So, from the guy's perspective, the older one should give much more space and handle all the madness." Anubhav also feels that while young folks mostly look up to the older person, the latter shouldn't try and control them. "Try to enjoy your relationship, as that's more important than anything else," he adds. (Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images)

Lose the social awkwardness: In your 20s, you preferred clubbing. In your 30s, a pub, and in your 40s, you'd rather unwind with a jazz record and a cigar. But when it comes to dating a younger person, you might have to revisit your old haunts and newer, noisier ones too. D'sa feels that a lot of times, people who are more assertive in the relationship keep pressing for things to be done at their preferred places. He says, "Ideally, it should be a mix of both.If on a Friday night, you go to a club meeting her friends, Saturday night could be a quiet lounge. It's a good mix of places for both and it doesn't make one feel that they are sacrificing everything for the other person." (Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images)

Settling down: If things turn serious, you might want to consider settling down.But in the case of a younger person, they might want to wait up a bit and live more before they decide to settle or get hitched. Anubhav says people want to live their lives fully and make their own mistakes, lest they feel they left out on something, "If you're looking at it as a casual fling, great.Bur if you are taking it to the next level, there are other things you have to think about. If the girl is young, she might not know what she wants later in life. She might think differently a few years, or even a few months down the line and want to wait it out," he adds.Remember, the younger person can take the gamble as they have the time, which you might not. (Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images)