Many often say that age is just a number when it comes to romantic relationships, and this was certainly the case for 32-year-old Che Zainun Che Ahmad.
This comes after she chose to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather and had to endure a great deal of misunderstanding from others over their relationship.
Found love despite age gap
Speaking to NST, Che Zainun said she first met her husband, Hazlan Hajar, 10 years ago after they became friends on Facebook.
The Kelantan native said she had always preferred older men as partners, adding that she had dated men around her age but found none of them to be compatible.
“Hazlan’s patience and maturity won my heart and when my family found out about the relationship, they were shocked but eventually gave their blessing.
“We got married when he was 70 and I was only 22,” she explained.
‘They often think he’s my dad’
Unsurprisingly, the marriage raised many eyebrows and led many to wrongly assume that Hazlan was Che Zainun’s father.
At first, I was uncomfortable with the assumptions but have since grown accustomed to them.
“I don’t blame anyone for this as I had already prepared herself for various perceptions before deciding to marry a senior citizen.
“To me, age is just a number. Thank God, we have been blessed with two children, aged nine years and one month,” she said.
Discouraged marrying older men
Despite Hazlan’s age, Che Zainun said he maintains a healthy diet and remains in good health.
She also said his straightforward nature has helped keep their marriage peaceful and free of unnecessary conflict even though he wasn’t a romantic individual.
With such a wide age gap, our interests and lifestyles are naturally different. I choose to compromise more for the sake of our marriage because older men tend to have strong egos.
“However, I won’t encourage others to marry someone with a significant age gap, particularly older divorcees or widowers.
“A relationship like this requires emotional maturity and resilience. Without that, the marriage may not last. Find someone who is mature, compatible and not too far apart in age.”
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