A woman says the 27-year age gap with her husband makes him a 'better dad' - despite strangers mistaking him for their baby's grandad. Gretchen Dillon, 36, had preferred to date women before she locked eyes on Michael Dillon, 63, in her local supermarket in October 2014.
Striking up a friendship, the pair soon realised their romantic feelings for each other and started dating in May 2015. Despite the almost three-decade age difference, Gretchen couldn't deny how she felt for Michael and the pair married in February 2018 and have now welcomed a son together - Shannon, six months.
Gretchen, a market research analyst, said: "People often mistake my husband for my dad - but we laugh it off. Their perceptions quickly change when they get to know Michael and I - they can see we just make sense.
"My friend tried to stop me marrying him because she kept saying I was going to be a widow as she's nearly 30 years older than me, but I loved him and didn't care."
After meeting at a petrol station outside a supermarket, the pair quickly found themselves bumping into each other around different areas of the store and hit it off. Michael - who is two years older than his wife's mum- offered Gretchen a free room and job to help run his Airbnb in January 2015 and before long their friendship developed into romance.
Michael’s friends thought it was odd when he told them he was dating a woman who was 27 years younger than him but as soon as they met Gretchen, they could see the pair were a great match. After dating for three-and-a-half years, the pair got married in February 2018 and decided to have a baby together.
The couple, who live in New York, USA, welcomed their first child together in October 2021 and are loving being baby Shannon's parents. Michael couldn't wait to be a father again - he already has one child and another stepchild from a previous relationship - and I think his age makes him a better father," Gretchen said.
Michael said: “People think I’m Shannon’s grandad all the time but I just laugh it off. The hardest physical aspect is getting up in the middle of the night but that’s becoming less and less and Shannon is a joy.”
Michael is still young at heart and the pair don't see the age gap as a defining factor of their relationship. He said: “I adore Gretchen and she takes good care of me.
“I’m a lot more stable and mature than I was in my 30s and that stability and maturity is comforting to Gretchen. The age difference is tremendously helpful in the success of our relationship.”
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea
