“He’s not my dad”: Couple with 29-year age gap leaves onlookers stunned
A couple who has a 29-year age gap have revealed they are constantly confused for being a father and daughter duo, and insist they are happier together.
Kayla Caudill, 23, from Georgia, US, met her 51-year-old boyfriend Stephen Dunn in May 2019 while he did her belly button piercing.
Kayla says that while both she and Stephen were in relationships at the time, they exchanged conversation and formed a friendship.
“We definitely didn't have love at first sight, but there was something special there,” Kayla said.
“Neither one of us were in the position to pursue a relationship at that time. He was with someone and I was married. It was strictly a friendship in the beginning.
“I thought he was so charismatic, handsome, and attentive. He thought I was kind and liked how I listened when he spoke. There was no denying our connection.”
The pair confirmed that neither of them were happy or fulfilled in their previous relationships but found solace in each other as communication came easy and sparks flew.
In 2019, Kayla says they took a chance on each other and began a relationship.
“We both left everything we knew, everything we had built in our separate lives, for each other. It was crazy. I knew I had to have him. He was everything I had wanted in someone,” she said.
“We have a gap in maturity obviously. I don't have as much life experience as him but I have been through a lot. He teaches me about life and I learn.
“I'm more mature than my age labels me as and it works to my advantage. If I acted my age, we would not be together. I label myself as a forty-three-year-old in a twenty-three-year-old’s body.”
The couple’s 29-year age difference has caused a divide with their families – Kayla has said her own father has disowned her.
Additionally, Stephen’s ex-partner doesn’t want Kayla to be involved with his children - which she respects.
For the most part, the pair’s families are happy to see them happy.
“The longer we are together the more people start to see that we are just like any other couple who love and care for each other deeply,” Kayla revealed
“We make each other laugh. We get another chance to really experience what love is supposed to be like. We help each other heal from past trauma in relationships and we have lots of sex.
“It sounds crazy but it was something we've both lacked in previous relationships.”
She says the most difficult thing is other people.
“We understand that there are those that won't be understanding, those that are angry and hurt from our choice to be together, but at the end of the day we chose each other and we'd do it over and over again,” she said.
“We get asked, ‘Is that your daughter?’ We love making others stare leaving them confused,” she added.
“It's like comedic relief for us. We honestly need our own reality tv show because I think others would love some mindless entertainment that we call everyday life.”