A woman who got engaged to her former schoolteacher has revealed their 25-year age gap sees them often getting mistaken for grandmother and granddaughter.
Monica Ketchum, 31, from Big Rapids, Michigan, was a ‘teacher’s pet’ to science teacher Michelle Foster, 56, in 2004.
16 years after Monica left the school, she decided to message her seventh grade teacher on Facebook.
The two formed a close friendship that eventually turned into a romantic connection, and while they don’t see their large age difference as an issue in their relationship, the two lovebirds have noted that others frequently confuse Michelle for Monica’s mom or grandma.
Monica Ketchum, 31, from Michigan, got engaged to her former schoolteacher, Michelle Foster, 56 (pictured right)
Monica was a ‘teacher’s pet’ to science teacher Michelle Foster in 2004
16 years after Monica left the school, she decided to message her seventh grade teacher on Facebook
The couple say they are mistaken for mother and daughter ‘several times every day’ and one stranger even mistook Michelle as Monica’s grandmother, but they shrug it off – and say now they ‘don’t even notice’ the age gap.
Monica said despite the age gap, they have a lot in common, having bonded over music, camping, outdoor activities and hunting down locally-brewed beer.
Monica said: ‘In the beginning, the age gap was the biggest issue for Michelle – I didn’t really have concerns.
‘I was always attracted to older people – I’m attracted to an old soul, so age has never really been a thing for me.
‘Michelle and I were always close, and we found commonality, so I didn’t even see an age gap.’
However, Monica revealed that it ‘hurts’ when people ask if Michelle is her ‘mom.’
‘People always ask if she’s my mom – I even recently designed a t-shirt saying “no, she’s not my mom.”
‘I try to let it go but it does hurt – age doesn’t matter to us, so why does it matter to other people?’
She even wondered why people would even ask such questions, especially when they kiss in public.
And while they are both happy, the ride isn’t always smooth – and due to their large age gap, Monica explained they are often mistaken for mother and daughter.
The two formed a close friendship that eventually turned into a romantic connection
They noted they don’t see their large age difference as an issue in their relationship, but said that others frequently confuse Michelle for Monica’s mom or grandma
The couple say they are mistaken for mother and daughter ‘several times every day’ and one stranger even mistook Michelle as Monica’s grandmother, but they shrug it off
She said: ‘People ask “is that your mom” or even “is that your grandma” all the time.
‘We learned to laugh or brush it off, but if you see me kissing her, why would you ask if she’s my mom?’
She added: ‘Another question I get asked is whether I loved her when I was 13 – obviously not!
‘At the time, we didn’t have any relationship besides her being a good teacher.’
The 31-year-old added that the 25-year age gap was never an issue for her, however her 56-year-old partner did struggle with it at first.
Michelle was ‘very happy’ to reconnect, but she was worried about what others thought about how their relationship began and their large age gap.
The 56-year-old said: ‘I was worried about the age gap and I was worried about how we first met, but I had to let it all go. ‘
Michelle knew she had to stop concerning herself with what everyone else thought, she said that once she did that, she was finally happy.
‘It became clear I had to make a choice for myself, and when I did, it was like the weight of the world lifted.
‘Once I let go, it didn’t matter what anyone thought. Since I let go of that, we just flowered.
Monica said despite the age gap, they have a lot in common, having bonded over music, camping, outdoor activities and hunting down locally-brewed beer
Michelle was ‘very happy’ to reconnect, but she was worried about what others thought about how their relationship began and their large age gap
‘I realized 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.’
She explained that she knew Monica was the one when the 31-year-old offered to ‘take care’ of her.
‘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,’ Michelle said.
Monica decided to reach out to Michelle after having gone through a difficult situation with her family.
The 31-year-old was raised strongly Christian and had become estranged from her family when she came out as gay.
As a 13-year-old Michelle’s classroom was a ‘safe space’ for Monica so she decided to get in touch with her favorite teacher since she had also been in a relationship with a woman in the past.
While their relationship remained professional back then, Michelle left such a mark that Monica decided to find her on Facebook nearly a decade years later, in April 2020.
Michelle knew she had to stop concerning herself with what everyone else thought, she said that once she did that, she was finally happy
Monica decided to reach out to Michelle after having gone through a difficult situation with her family
Michelle had also been struggling when Monica reached out and they supported each other, speaking online.
Their supportive friendship became more intense until it became clear there was a romantic connection – despite their unusual connection and 25 year age gap.
In August 2021, they finally met up for the first time.
Monica said: ‘We sat and had lunch for five hours – it was great to catch up.
‘We grew close and became great friends – we could talk about anything.
‘We were both in really dark places and finding someone you can relate to and be vulnerable with felt safe.’
They ended their previous relationships to be together in May 2022, with Michelle and her wife filing for a divorce.
Monica proposed in September 2022 and then Michelle returned the favor by popping the question back the following month.
Ever since then, the couple – who both have children from previous marriages – have been living together.
The couple got engaged late last year, after they organized separate proposals for one another.
Their supportive friendship became more intense until it became clear there was a romantic connection – despite their unusual connection and 25 year age gap
Monica proposed in September 2022 and then Michelle returned the favor by popping the question back the following month
They are now planning their wedding, due to take place in June 2023.
And even though they are targeted by trolls, who claim Michelle ‘groomed’ Monica, they say it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Despite people misunderstanding their relationship, the couple put themselves out on social media.
They explained they want to ‘be open in the community which needs a voice’ – both due to being LGBT and because of their age gap.
Monica said: ‘We want to be where others come to find hope and light and safety or need a friend.
‘We want to encompass everybody in a loving way and promote that love is love.’
Monica added: ‘We get a lot of harassment for our age gap, and we don’t understand it.’
The 31-year-old noted that since their age difference doesn’t matter to them, it shouldn’t matter to others.
‘Age doesn’t matter to us, so why does it matter to other people?
‘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.’
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