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Wisdom and stability \u2014 these are two things that 25-year-old Aaliya Lara cherishes about her relationship with an older man.<\/p>\n
Aaliya, 25, met her husband Steve Lara, 48, two years ago, and is a year younger than his eldest daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While Aaliya does find it embarrassing to sometimes be mistaken for her husband\u2019s daughter, she says the worst of the negativity comes from online.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The couple shared a video about their relationship on TikTok, garnering 7.5 million views and \u2018plentiful\u2019 hate comments.<\/p>\n
\u2018[We get] comments like, \u201cThis is sick\u201d, \u201cHe\u2019s a predator\u201d, \u201cHe will leave you for someone younger when you get older\u201d, and many more that I try to block as soon as they pop up,\u2019 Aaliya said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I think the most negative, hateful comment I\u2019ve received was, along the lines of \u201cBruce Willis got dementia and his young wife left him, she\u2019s going to do the same thing\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u2018From the outside looking in, I guess our relationship can seem shallow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018But it breaks my heart for someone to even speak something like dementia into existence for the man I love.\u2019<\/p>\n
On top of that, Aaliya said, it\u2019s completely untrue.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019ve taken into consideration everything that comes with dating a man older than me,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
\u2018It may sound naive, but I am prepared to deal with whatever is thrown at us and intend to take care of him until his last breath.\u2019<\/p>\n
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Besides, the benefits completely outweigh the positives for Aaliya, who \u2018caught Steve\u2019s eye\u2019 at a business meeting in September 2019.<\/p>\n
She said: \u2018Some of the best parts for me of being in an age gap relationship is the wisdom and stability my partner has.<\/p>\n
\u2018There were many things I didn\u2019t learn or know when we met and he has really opened my mind to how limitless we all really are in life.<\/p>\n
\u2018None of my family who lives in California own their homes, my husband has owned many and we currently own the home we live in, and that gives me a deep sense of joy and stability that I needed growing up.\u2019<\/p>\n
Now, Steve helps take care Aaliya\u2019s daughter, Addilyn, five, who \u2018loves Steve very deeply.\u2019<\/p>\n
Steve is also a dad to Adrianna, 26, and Cristian, 22, from a previous relationship, who have met Aaliya. <\/p>\n
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When it comes to dating older men, Aaliya says it\u2019s true that some have \u2018bad intentions\u2019 when it comes to dating younger women.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Don\u2019t allow yourself to be abused,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Find someone who truly loves you and supports you.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s really in the small details where you will find the answer to whether a person is right for you or not.\u2019<\/p>\n
And, for the people who stigmatise and hate on age gap relationships, Aaliya added, \u2018I would just say I hope that you can find the love that we\u2019re experiencing one day.\u2019<\/p>\n