Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@starrynight1951
Topics: Sex and Relationships
Anish Vij
A 45-year-old woman happily married to a 71-year-old man says he's regularly mistaken for her father.
Allison, 45 and Ben Hornsby, 71, of Florida, first met in 1998 and they have been happily in love ever since.
And the 26-year age gap is something neither husband or wife are bothered by at all.
Those close to the couple are welcoming of the gap, however, the outside world has been very judgemental.
Advert
Allison and Ben also have five children, including triplets and twins.
"We met 24 years ago when I was working at a pawnshop and Ben was the mailman," said Allison.
"We got married in January 2002 and have been going strong for 20 years.
Advert
'We are the parents of triplets (boys) and twins (a girl and a boy). The triplets are 19 and the twins are 15.
"Raising five children, especially the same ages, has been challenging but also rewarding. When they were babies we lived on Ben’s mail route. He would come home for lunch and change diapers.
"He retired when the triplets were seven and the twins were four, which has allowed him to be there as a father."
Advert
Although the family are supportive, outsiders sometimes can be 'rude' and 'abusive'.
"A few times our children’s friends at school asked if Ben was their grandfather and a couple of teachers wrongly assumed he was their grandfather," the mum-of-five explained.
"I notice on occasion women are judgemental or sometimes rude towards me. We have received rude, abusive messages a few times from men on Instagram and also one rude comment on one of our reels on Instagram.
"This has been the only rude comment on a video of us kissing saying, 'that’s just nasty'.
Advert
"We just ignored it. We have blocked a few men who sent us private messages asking about our sex life.
"I have felt judged by women older than me. In contrast, we have been told by friends and people that just met us that we are a power couple."
Despite different upbringings, the pair adore one another.
Advert
"I was born in Virginia, my father was in the Navy so I travelled a lot growing up," said Ben.
"I was in the US Army for four years.
"I had a successful career as a letter carrier with the Post Office and transferred back to Jacksonville, Florida during the 1980s when my mother was sick."
Meanwhile, Allison grew up in Jacksonville, Florida.
"I attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts where I graduated from high school in 1995," she said.
"I love drawing, painting and creating art as well as street art stickers and culture."