So I'm in my early 20s, and I get that that may disqualify me from being taken seriously here as I vent.

I'm a straight-presenting femme, and have been doing the whole serial dating/apps thing since I came out in mid-2022. I'm lucky enough to get a fair amount of attention on there, at least initially.

For whatever reason ("mommy issues"/a subtle but palpable sense of disconnect with people my age/being an "old soul"/whatever other cliché you want to put on it), I've found myself pretty much only sexually/romantically attracted to a certain and very specific type of woman. That type being older (usually 40 ) straight-presenting femmes with what I could only describe as "mom energy", usually late bloomers. My being a demi/sapiosexual may be a big part of that, too.

I've gone on dates with women around my age (and even had short relationships), and while they are usually wonderful people that I enjoy their company as friends, I pretty much never feel that spark/tingle/whatever with them.

But with the women I get that "tingle" with? They fall into a few categories:

• My age makes them uncomfortable, and they walk on eggshells treating me like some sort of fragile little porcelain doll. That's totally understandable, of course (even if it's a bummer for me).
• I'm some sort of experimental stepping stone fling for them, and things end pretty quickly. Also a bummer.
• they’re lying and looking for a “unicorn” for a threesome.
  
• They start talking about a lifelong commitment very uncomfortably fast
• (the worst) - They're creepily into the power imbalance of an age gap, and most certainly DO NOT see me as anything but some sort of object. I've only encountered this one once, and thankfully ended things with her before I could be really hurt/exploited.

I know the most obvious solutions to my venting is to date women my age, resign myself to just hooking up, or be patient and defer romance until I'm older, but none of those three options seem particularly appealing to me.