Dear MTS Times,

I have a crush on an older guy. I’m sixteen and he just turned twenty-one. He is so nice to me and we really seem to have a lot in common. I love texting with him and he always makes me laugh. I’ve always heard that I’m mature for my age…and five years really isn’t that big of a difference, right? My parents are seven years apart! But a lot of my friends tell me that he’s too old for me and it does feel weird to flirt with someone that’s already out of high school. What should I do?

-Confused

First of all, that’s illegal, so you can have a lot of problems with that. It’s not as easy of a situation as you might think. Second, that’s not a big age difference if you are like 25 and he is 30, but in your teen years the difference is really big. He is an adult and you are still a child. Just find another boy… I’m sure you can find one that is your age or near it! And if you did date that guy (and you must not) you can be easily manipulated by him so it is better to get far away from that situation. Even if he is “nice” to you, we never know the real intentions of people. This is one of the times that it is better to follow your head instead of your heart. 

-Sofia Hernandez