Another Boy Below the Bracket

It had been awhile since any of my regular library hotties had wandered through the stacks. So I had basically given up hope on finding an attractive man in the library when in walked Charles.

Taller than me. Dark hair. Dark eyes. And a style and attitude that were neither high maintainance nor low. Perfectly in between.

Af first I wasn’t going to pay him any real attention. I didn’t strategically position myself in his line of sight or offer him my librarian services. But then I just happened to be at the circulation desk when he was checking out, so I casually inventoried the books stacked before him. And I fell in love.

Charles was checking out three books: a cookbook, a book of war poems, and The 9/11 Commission Report.

Now, attractiveness is always the first thing anyone notices when they meet a person. But, let’s face it, there are A LOT of beautiful idiots out there. The world is overrun with gorgeous bimbos, ripped morons, and drop dead sexy dumbasses. So when I find someone who is not only attractive but also smart, sensitive, and cooks, all my single girl antennae tune in.

So, as a coworker checked out the books, I violated his privacy by casually glancing at the library card application on the counter in front of him. His name, as you know, was Charles (not the sexiest name in the world, but it’s better than Bob). And his age was 24.

Now, I’ve already mentioned that my coworkers nicknamed me “Puma” for my tendency to be attracted to younger men. This is not something I do intentionally. It’s not like I want a younger guy. It just seems that the men I find attractive in the library tend to be in the age bracket below mine.

And I can’t help but wonder (yet again) why this is. Am I in denial about my age? Am I destined to become one of those desperate cougars who shops in the juniors department and stalks young men? Or is it just demographics? Do men in the 25 to 35 age bracket not enjoy reading? Did the brains and beauty combo skip the males in my generation?

Whatever the reason, I think there is a chance I may end up being some young thing’s sugar mamma one day (of course, that’s hard to do on a librarian’s salary). But please, dear friends, if I’m 60 and still wearing mini-skirts and four-inch heels, stage an intervention. Pronto.

Robbing the Cradle

When the Twilight series made it to the big screen, middle-aged women started professing their love (and lust) for the teenage Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black in the series). A lot of people (including myself) enjoyed making fun of these women and their pedo-fantasies…  But then I sat down to watch the film New Moon…

And I came to the conclusion that these women were completely justified in lusting after the teenage werewolf. I’m definitely on “Team Jacob”. Woof.

Following the films, I struck up conversations with various friends on the topic of dating and age. While it’s pretty much widely known and accepted that men can date women of any age, the subject of “cougars” (women pursuing younger men) is still rather controversial. It is, however, a trend that I predict will continue to grow. I, myself, have been dubbed a “puma” in the library (I’ve been told I’m too young to be a “cougar”) because of my tendency to get tongue-tied around a 20-year-old library patron named Ben. Although, in my defense, I’m not the only one who drools over him and I would never pursue anyone so young.

But, it turns out, some of my friends would.

I asked various friends about “age limits” when it comes to dating. The responses I received were varied. What I found most interesting was that the majority of them answered a question I never asked…

I posed to them TWO questions: (1) What’s the youngest you’ll go? and (2) What’s the oldest you’ll go?

They, in turn, gave me THREE answers: (1) How young they’ll go, (2) How old they’ll go, AND (3) How young they’ll go if it’s just a one night stand.

For the ladies in their mid- to late-twenties, the age ranges of potential dates were around 22 to 33. HOWEVER, if they were looking for a one night stand, most were willing to go as low as 21. Apparently, I have a number of “Puma” friends with loose morals.

For the ladies in their early thirties, the age ranges (naturally) increased. One said 25 to late 30s. Another went as high as 45. Another, even higher–she admits to liking “older men.”

So, some friends rob the cradle. Some rob the retirement home. 

What I’m curious about now are the men. So far, I’ve only asked two male friends about their “range.” The 33-year-old said that, for “serious dating,” it’s 23 to 36 (although, he has dated someone in their late 40s). The 25-year-old was only willing to go 5 years younger and 5 years older.

So what is it about age? Does it really make a difference? Is it important? Is it not? Why can men date younger women and be considered “macks” while women dating younger men are “cougars”?

And in case you were wondering about me… I am not going to give a range. I know that the minute I do, the Universe will decide to screw with me and I’ll find myself on the arm of a 70-year-old with a bulging wallet and no working parts from the waist down…. Of course, that might not be so bad….