It can be hard to find enough to connect over, or shared goals to work towards." One might be getting out of grad school, while the other is preparing for retirement. "Of course, these can be tricky relationships since the partners are in such different life stages. "Like any other relationship, some age-gap relationships can be healthy and some can be unhealthy, and there are plenty of shades of gray," cautions professional sex therapist Vanessa Marin.