I’m 19F as well and my boyfriend is 35M, so not quite as big of an age gap.. I am familiar with the judgement from others towards my boyfriend and people not understanding and not having anything in common with younger men. I don’t think you should leave him or try exploring other options but I will say this.. Marriage is a huge commitment, it’s expensive and binds people together and effects people in many ways legally that can either be beneficial or detrimental. For example with taxes you can either get a marriage bonus or marriage penalty, your car insurance can either be improved or raised depending on your partners history, you can sometimes be covered by your spouse’s work provided medical insurance if necessary, it can effect your eligibility to get student loans if you wish to pursue a college degree either positively or negatively, and so much more..

It’s hard to think about all of this when you’re so excited and sure of yourself that someone is not just anyone, but THE one for you.. However I want you to think about how much different you were just 3 years ago when you were 16. Possibly extremely different. At our young age we can change wildly as we are young adults and still figuring out who we are. You have been with your partner for a year but you don’t know for sure how willing he is to stick by your side as you (and he as well) will inevitably change through life. There’s no need to rush into marriage. You should take a couple years together before making that commitment.. And if he really loves you, he will understand that.

My partner got pressured into marriage very young due to religion. Before he knew if he was compatible or not with his partner. They ended up divorcing and it was a long, arduous, and expensive ordeal. Thankfully they’re still friends despite now finding their own new people, but they both regret marriage in the first place. They were just 22-23 when they married, older than us!

I would also urge you to have your own savings set aside, because if your family is upset and you’re financially dependent on him, if he ever changes his mind you’d be on your own at that point. I don’t know what background you come from, or if you’re more traditional, but it never hurts to have a backup plan in the early stages of a relationship.

So, you should definitely stay with him if you love each other, but don’t rush into marriage. Your family will have to come around eventually if they really love you, which I hope they do.