Age Gaps In Marriage



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Myrtle Alegado: When you hear that someone you know is dating an older person, perhaps several years older. What goes through your mind? Do you form an opinion either way about their relationship because of a potential generational gap. Let's see how the discussion unfolds today with our newlyweds with an age gap.



Welcome to Happy Life, a podcast brought to you by INCMedia Audio that aims to help newlyweds navigate through the first years of marriage. I'm your host, Myrtle Alegado, and I've been married to my husband, Paul, since 1999. Later, we'll hear some Bible-based advice through Brother Felmar Serreno, a minister of the gospel in the Church Of Christ.



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Inspiration to make your marriage thrive, you're listening to Happy Life.



Myrtle Alegado: As mentioned earlier, our newlywed couple today has an age gap that might even be considered a generational gap as well. Jasmine and Mac are from Winnipeg, Canada. Hi, you two, and welcome to Happy Life.



Jasmine Balacano: Hi!



Mac Balacano: Hi there.



Myrtle Alegado: How's Winnipeg life at the moment?



Jasmine Balacano: Pretty muddy, rainy. Not bad. [laughs]



Myrtle Alegado: It's rainy here too, but, you know, such is the case with our west coast city. So when did you both get married, and how have you been enjoying married life since then?



Jasmine Balacano: We got married last year, May 2021, during the pandemic. We had a pretty serious lockdown at the time, and it was very stressful. We had to change the wedding date about three or four times.



Myrtle Alegado: Oh, wow.



Jasmine Balacano: Yeah, and we were only allowed to have 10 people at the wedding. So, yup. [laughs]



Mac Balacano: Yeah, and it's  been a very busy year for us. I can't even believe it's been one year. I often joke with people that I feel like in 2021 I got a new life. We got married, [and] I ended up getting a new job. So, working in a new industry, building a new team, new processes and things like that. So work’s been very busy. We also got a new dog, Loki, who is a puppy. He's almost one now, but you know around that time when we first got him, he [was] obviously quite the handful. So life's been very busy, but of course we've been enjoying every moment of it.



Myrtle Alegado: I mean, all of that, plus a pandemic going on still. You know, I can imagine how, you know, hectic and intense the first year has been for you two. And I know other newlyweds can relate to how chaotic the first months can be.



So I know you have an age gap, and I won't mention exactly how many years. Let's just say that Jasmine's in her 20s and Mac’s in his 30s. What did you like about each other in the beginning, despite the age gap?



Mac Balacano: You know for me, when I first met Jasmine, it was really just that our conversation clicked. You know, at that time, when even reflecting back on when I was talking to other people or getting to know people, you know, there's always something kind of missing. And with Jasmine that was never the case. Our conversations just clicked, they flowed, they were very natural. We often talk about how we're best friends,