A loving couple with a staggering 27-year age gap have hit back at criticism of their unique relationship – even as they admit people often mistake them for mother and son.
Mickey Swearingon, 23, and Cherie Salinas, 50, say people often think they are parents rather than romantic partners – a mistake they acknowledge is not helped by the fact that Cherie’s son is the same age as her boyfriend.
The couple, from Katy, Texas, explained that they don’t mind being judged for their relationship and find comments about their mother-son relationship hilarious.
Mickey shared, “I honestly don’t know how to respond when people say she’s my mom. It’s a gray area and it’s all about proving things to people about our relationship.
“We just want to be happy and if people have something to say, let them say it.”
Mickey Swearingon, 23, and Cherie Salinas, 50, have hit back at criticism over their 27-year age gap – after admitting people often confuse them with mother and son.
The couple, from Katy, Texas, explained that they don’t mind being judged for their relationship and find comments about their mother-son relationship hilarious.
The couple met on Tinder in April last year after Cherie’Her husband unfortunately passed away and she decided to try dating younger men.
Mickey said he had always been attracted to older women, but never found anyone he clicked with as much as Cherie.
He shared: “When I first saw her, all I could think about was how beautiful she was. She was so perfect.
“I never had a serious relationship on Tinder, but we went on our first date and haven’t been apart since.”
Cherie also admitted: “After my husband passed away, it took me a while to decide to date again and I realized I was attracted to younger men.
“(Mickey) was so sweet when I talked to him before the date. I couldn’t wait to meet him. He was exactly what I needed at that moment.
As their first date came to an end, they decided to continue the date saying it was love at first sight.
Soon after, they became inseparable and their relationship became serious, meaning it was time to talk openly about it with their families.
The couple met on Tinder in April last year after Cherie’s husband died and she decided to try dating younger men.
Mickey said he had always been attracted to older women, but never found anyone he clicked with as much as Cherie.
Mickey’s mother was hesitant at first and worried about her son, but she has since come to accept the age gap after spending time with Cherie.
He revealed: “When I started having relationships with an age gap, my mother wasn’t very supportive because she just thought an older woman would use me.
“But when she met Cherie, she could see how happy we were and she warmed up to her straight away.
“When you find yourself in something like this, there’s bound to be a tough time, but we don’t care what people say, and we’re just happy that we can have our families behind us.”
Cherie also talked about how incredibly supportive his family has been, including his son who is the same age as Mickey – they even started to become really good friends.
“My son met him and they get along really well, which is always a good thing in something like this.
Cherie also talked about how incredibly supportive his family has been, including his son who is the same age as Mickey – they even started to become really good friends.
Mickey concluded, “People have such a misconception about age gap relationships that they think there must be something weird going on, but I just like the level of maturity.”
“A lot of my family members haven’t met Mickey, but they support me and are just happy because I’m happy.”
Cherie explained: “There is so much stigma around relationships like ours and a lot of it is incorrect. We love being together, no matter what people say.
And Mickey concludes: “People have such a misconception about age gap relationships that they think there must be something weird going on, but I just like the level of maturity that goes into it. with.
“When we receive hate online, we ignore it, we are truly happy and nothing will stop us from doing that.”