Some things get better with age: wine, cheese, sex, judgment and most importantly, men. It’s the age of the silver fox and we get to reap the benefits.

We’ve all drooled over the DILFs of Disney World Instagram, fantasized about George Clooney, or perused sugardaddies.com just to “see what it was all about.” Maybe you’ve dreamt about doing your professor during office hours, maybe you’ve flirted with your best friend’s divorced dad or maybe that’s just us.

Either way you should, at least once in your life, date an older man. There can be a few awkward aspects – like showing him your ‘90s gangster rap playlist, thinking you are the throwback queen, only to realize he saw The Beatles in concert when he was a kid, but push past them and enjoy some of these timeless benefits:

1. They teach you how to be a real person

Dating an older guy is like having a round the clock shrink, a 24/7 help desk or a built-in guidance counselor. Let’s think of him as Professor Henry Jones (Senior, obviously) from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Mmm Sean Connery, Lord Commander of the silver foxes. Anyways, your personal silver fox has a lot of knowledge behind those horn-rimmed glasses and is more than willing to share it. He has been through the college thing, the job search and the impoverished first years of adulthood, and he came out on the other side. His advice is super helpful, especially if you’re in that in-between stage of life; like most of us millennials with Fine Arts degrees are.

2. Sushi all day, every day

As twenty something college students, our budgets are pretty tight or reserved strictly for happy hour. We eat nice meals when our parents come to town or your friend with delusions of grandeur makes everyone go to Frasca for her birthday, but other than that, it’s usually something equivalent to the three-day burrito bowl you thankfully discovered in the back of the fridge. Lucky for you, your established man doesn’t want to grab Chinese take out on the way home. He believes that dinner is something to experience, to eat slowly, with lots of red wine. Dating an older gent means you get wined and dined. Would you like to add lobster to your filet mignon? Fuck. Yeah. 

3. Sexual healing

He’s been around the block a good number of times and knows a thing or two about how to please a lady. Gone are the days of lying next to a guy who just finished all over your stomach without a thought to where your orgasm will come from. He didn’t think women actually had them but he feels bad and says he’ll "get you back next time," as he uses a dirty sock to wipe you down. Your experienced, mature boyfriend knows that sex is not a sprint but rather a slow, steady conversation where both of you finish together in mind-blowing orgasms. Your mature man is a cunning linguist (see what we did there), and he's all about that long game. He's gonna die soon; he might as well savor every last taste of young vagina he can.

4. You’re a bad bitch and you know it

Going against the status quo channels your inner badass and makes you feel empowered. Having this sophisticated, gray haired guy on your arm definitely garners you some side eye from the concierge, the wait staff, the cab driver, etc. But own it. They probably think you’re being too handsy with your dad or you're sleeping with this old guy for money. What the fuck ever. Do you.

5. No more decoding one-word responses

Unlike our peer group, your older BF is probably less reliant on text messaging for communication purposes. He doesn’t wait a certain amount of time to send a response and you don’t have to either. You also no longer need to invite your friends over for cosmos to decipher the previous days’ text convo. When he wants to see you, he’ll send a limo. That probably won’t happen but it’d be super sweet if it did… He just calls with dinner reservations or tickets to a show (probably for Jackson Browne, not Pretty Lights) and you plan on that date. You don’t have to worry about him bailing because the Rockies are playing and his best friend won free tickets.  He’s reliable and stable. Win win.

6. No future in sight

This can kind of sound like a bad thing, but in reality, as a young adult, you don’t want to think about marriage and children and the house with the picket fence. The good news is, neither does your boyfriend. He’s done all three and wants to just enjoy the moment. He appreciates your flighty youthfulness and lack of planning. You won’t have to worry about planning/plotting for the next ten years together.

A whole bunch of stuff gets better with age, including relationships, but while this relationship is enjoyable, it’s not viable. Drink it in while it lasts; eat your fill of fine cheeses and savor every post-orgasm glow. Take it for exactly what it is: an increased perspective on what you want out of a partner and a new found appreciation for men your own age who can have sex five times in one day and who want to climb a 14-er and smoke a celebratory bowl at the top.  There’s an ocean between girls and guys in their twenties, so experiment a little while the tides recede. Plus, it makes for a kick ass story to tell your friends.