Samantha had always attracted attention, her stunning looks and career as a model making her a magnet for admirers. She had spent her 20s and early 30s dating men closer to her age—handsome, ambitious, and full of potential. But after years of failed relationships and emotional letdowns, she made a bold decision: she would never date a man under 45 again.

Her reasoning wasn’t what people expected. Many assumed it was about status or wealth, but that wasn’t the case. The real reason, Samantha explains, had nothing to do with money or power, but with emotional maturity.

“Men under 45 just aren’t ready in the way I need them to be,” she said. “They might have careers, ambitions, and looks, but when it comes to understanding who they are and what they want, there’s usually a lot of confusion. I’ve been through enough heartbreak to know that what I need is someone who’s already done that work.”

Samantha had spent years trying to “grow” with younger men, but the relationships often felt like they were lopsided. She would be looking for emotional depth and connection, while they seemed to be in search of excitement or validation. They didn’t understand her need for stability, often dismissing her desire for something more serious as “too much” or “too soon.”

“Dating men in their 30s was exhausting,” she admitted. “It felt like they were still trying to figure out what they wanted from life, and I was done being part of that journey. I know what I want now, and I don’t have time to be someone’s lesson.”

But Samantha didn’t come to this conclusion overnight. It was after a string of relationships where she ended up feeling more like a mentor than a partner. She noticed that men her age were often distracted—by their careers, by their own insecurities, or by their search for the next thrill. They struggled to fully commit, and the emotional depth she craved was rarely there.

It wasn’t until she dated someone in his late 40s that everything changed. For the first time, Samantha felt like she was with a man who truly understood her. “He wasn’t caught up in proving himself or trying to impress anyone. He knew who he was, and that confidence made all the difference.”

That relationship didn’t last forever, but it opened her eyes. She realized that what she needed was emotional stability and a sense of self-awareness that she hadn’t found in younger men. “I’m not saying all younger men are like this, but for me, I need someone who’s already gone through those phases of uncertainty.”

From now on, Samantha is only looking for relationships with men who are emotionally secure, and for her, that means sticking to men over 45.