Emily Stomatuk fell for model Michael after meeting him in a yoga class – while excited about what was to come, her parents expressed concerns for the age gap romance
A woman has opened up about her relationship with a man 19 years her younger – and how she broke then news to her parents.
Finding ‘the one’ can take a long time for many people. And when you do meet that perfect person, you hope your family will love them just as much as you do. But American woman Emily Stomatuk, 28, says it was “awkward” when her parents found out at age 23 that she was dating a 42-year-old man.
The couple, who live in Los Angeles, US, are often questioned about their age gap romance. People have become fascinated by the pair and they often share their lives online. At first Emily says she “started very slow” while getting to know Michael Justin. She admitted that she had to “train some of the f*** boy out of him,” he shared on TikTok recently via Michael’s page @themichaeljustin.
“We started very slow, we were friends for a year,” said Michael, who is now 47. “I had to check a lot of her maturity levels to see where they were at,” he added. But when Emily’s parents found out they told that they ‘raised her better than this’ – despite having 14-year age gap in their own relationship.
But thankfully, things turned around and Emily’s dad now reportedly “loves him like a son”, she said. But when it was time for Michael to meet Emily’s parents, things took a turn for the better. “I think they really saw your commitment to me.” Emily confessed. “They saw how happy we were together.”
Emily added that Michael “really took care” of her during the global pandemic – when she was still at nursing school. “[I have] a great relationship with her dad, great relationship with her mom,” Michael explained.
The couple met in a yoga class and say they had an instant connection. Model Michael, from Massachusetts, asked Emily, from Arizona, to go out on a date. Despite her apprehension regarding their age gap, she agreed. For their first date, the pair went on a walk and not before long they were travelling abroad together.
The duo say didn’t let judgement about their age gap affect them and got married in November 2023.
While the pair have received some backlash and people calling Michael a “sugar daddy”, thousands of users have shown support for their union. One individual commented: “My parents are 19 years apart. This is normal for me.”
“My parents are 28 years apart,” added another. “I am 11 years older than my hubby and we are celebrating our 20 year wedding anniversary in June,” wrote another.
One other said: “Age is just a number. When you click with someone and have that deep bond, it is what it is.” One other commented: “‘I just think it’s so funny people are putting their opinions on your relationship like they’re the people in it! All that matters is you are happy!”
Another added: “‘My mum and dad are 22 years apart. And me and my fiancé are 14. As long as there’s respect and love, it’s all good,’ agreed another.” One other wrote: “I was married at the age of 20 to my late husband who was 19 years older than me. We were married for 31 years before he passed away due to cancer. Age did not make a difference!”
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