MY OLD TEACHER’S CHASING ME FOR A DATE

Dear Coleen

I always got along with my A-level history teacher, who is 10 years older than me (I’m 19 and he’s almost 30).

He was always a little bit flirty with me at school and sent me a lovely card when I did well in my history A-level.

He’s married with a young son and when I came home from university for a family visit I bumped into him and he told me he’s getting a divorce.

We kissed and swapped numbers, and even since then he’s been texting me to meet up. I’ve told a couple of my close friends who I was at school with and they think it’s weird.

What do you think?

Coleen says

Your friends are viewing him as your old teacher, which probably seems quite weird to them – and to you by the sounds of it.

Something else to think about is that some people – including his wife, your parents and other pupils and teachers at the school – may be suspicious that something was happening while you were at school and he was still your teacher. But that’s just idle gossip that you can choose to ignore. Sometimes in life, especially as you mature and get older, you just have to stop worrying about what everybody else thinks. After all, you’re an adult who can date who you like and he’s getting divorced.

Having said all that, my only concern is that you’re so young and at university and there must be so many fabulous people out there to date.

Even if he’s attractive and nice, I can’t see why an 18 or 19-year-old would want to get involved with a 30-year-old man going through the stress of a divorce.

You’re at such a carefree time of your life and that’s a lot of baggage to take on. But you’re an adult and you have to make your own decisions.

However, the fact that you’re even asking these questions demonstrates to me that you’re not really sure – and that, I think, is your answer.