Woman, 31, who is engaged to her 女性（の） ex-TEACHER says people 定期的に mistake her partner for her GRANDMA thanks to their 25-year age difference

Monica Ketchum, 31, from Michigan, got engaged to her former schoolteacher, Michelle Foster, 56 (pictured 権利)

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 two formed a の近くに friendship that 結局 turned into a romantic 関係

They 公式文書，認めるd they don't see their large age difference as an 問題／発行する in their 関係, but said? that others frequently 混乱させる 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 小衝突 it off, but if you see me kissing her, why would you ask if she's my mom?'

She 追加するd: 'Another question I get asked is whether I loved her when I was 13 - 明白に not!

'At the time, we didn't have any 関係 besides her 存在 a good teacher.'

The 31-year-old 追加するd that the 25-year age gap was never an 問題／発行する 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 関係 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 s he had to stop 関心ing herself with what everyone else thought, she said that once she did that, she was finally happy.?

'It became （疑いを）晴らす I had to make a choice for myself, and when I did, it was like the 負わせる of the world 解除するd.

'Once I let go, it didn't 事柄 what anyone thought. Since I let go of that, we just flowered.

Monica said にもかかわらず the age gap, they have a lot in ありふれた, having 社債d over music, （軍の）野営地，陣営ing, outdoor activities and 追跡（する）ing 負かす／撃墜する 地元で-brewed beer

Michelle was 'very happy' to reconnect, but she was worried about what others thought about how their 関係 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 残り／休憩（する） of my days with.'

She explained that she knew Monica was the one when the 31-year-old 申し込む／申し出d to 'take care' of her.?

'I've always been a 抱擁する 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? 状況／情勢 with her family.?

The 31-year-old was raised 堅固に Christian and had become estranged from her family when she （機の）カム out as gay.

As a 13-year-old Michelle's classroom was a '安全な space' for Monica so she decided to get in touch with her favorite teacher since she had also been in a 関係 with a woman in the past.?

While their 関係 remained professional 支援する then, Michelle left such a 示す that Monica decided to find her on Facebook nearly a １０年間 years later, in April 2020.

Michelle knew she had to stop 関心ing 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 状況／情勢 with her family

Michelle had also been struggling when Monica reached out and they supported each other, speaking online.?

Their supportive friendship became more 激しい until it became （疑いを）晴らす there was a romantic 関係 - にもかかわらず their unusual 関係 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 広大な／多数の／重要な to catch up.

'We grew の近くに and became 広大な／多数の／重要な friends - we could talk about anything.

'We were both in really dark places and finding someone you can relate to and be 攻撃を受けやすい with felt 安全な.'

They ended their previous 関係s to be together in May 2022, with Michelle and her wife とじ込み／提出するing for a 離婚.?

Monica 提案するd in September 2022 and then Michelle returned the 好意 by popping the question 支援する the に引き続いて 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 組織するd separate 提案s for one another.

Their supportive friendship became more 激しい until it became （疑いを）晴らす there was a romantic 関係 - にもかかわらず their unusual 関係 and 25 year age gap

Monica 提案するd in September 2022 and then Michelle returned the 好意 by popping the question 支援する the に引き続いて month

They are now planning their wedding, 予定 to take place in June 2023.

And even though they are 的d by trolls, who （人命などを）奪う，主張する Michelle 'groomed' Monica, they say it couldn't be その上の from the truth.?

にもかかわらず people 誤解 their 関係, the couple put themselves out on social マスコミ.

They explained they want to 'be open in the community which needs a 発言する／表明する' - both 予定 to 存在 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 促進する that love is love.'

Monica 追加するd: 'We get a lot of いやがらせ for our age gap, and we don't understand it.'?

The 31-year-old 公式文書，認めるd that since their age difference doesn't 事柄 to them, it shouldn't 事柄 to others.??

'Age doesn't 事柄 to us, so why does it 事柄 to other people?

'If I 許す myself to sit there and think about it, I'll go insane - I try to let it go but it does 傷つける.

'Love is love and we can love whoever we want.'