.png)
A former student has insisted she and her teacher-turned-fiancée 'don't even notice' the 25-year age gap between them now that they're in a relationship.
Monica Ketchum was in seventh grade when she was first introduced to her science teacher, Michelle Foster, in 2004, and she's admitted now that she was a real 'teacher's pet'.
Michelle was Monica's favourite teacher, but nothing more, until 17 years later, when Monica had long since finished school and got jobs as a forklift driver and content creator.
Advert
She decided to reach out to Michelle on Facebook, not long after she came out as gay, and the pair went from being friends to developing a romantic connection.
"I was always willing to be supportive of former students, I was very happy [to] reconnect," Michelle said.
"I've always been a huge caregiver and one day she said 'let me take care of you' - I can't tell you how good that felt."
While Monica has 'always been attracted to older people', Michelle admitted she was 'worried about the age gap' as well as the way they first met.
But with the feelings she had, Michelle decided to 'let it all go', even if it meant having to deal with some confusion from strangers.
Advert
Monica explained: "People always ask if she's my mum - I even recently designed a t-shirt saying 'no, she's not my mum'.
"I try to let it go but it does hurt - age doesn’t matter to us, so why does it matter to other people?"
Michelle added: "I realised other people can think what they think and I just have to do what I need to do to be happy.
"I now just think how lucky am I to have such a wonderful beautiful soul to spend the rest of my days with."
The pair got engaged last year and are now planning their wedding, which is set to take place in June.
Advert
They've received some mixed responses about their relationship. Michelle had even been forced to deny that she was 'in love' with Monica when she was a student, but they decided to be open about their romance as inspiration to others.
"We want to be where others come to find hope and light and safety or need a friend," Monica said, adding: "We want to encompass everybody in a loving way and promote that love is love."
"We get a lot of harassment for our age gap, and we don't understand it...If I allow myself to sit there and think about it, I’ll go insane - I try to let it go but it does hurt.
"Love is love and we can love whoever we want."
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: Sex and Relationships, Life