Opportunity with a very young girl, what should I do ? Need advice.

[BlueOak]

Any relationship based on healing, mutual or not, is going to be over when you're done healing. In your dark time you wanted a friend, you got one and because she showed you love when you needed it and I'm guessing nobody else was, maybe you fell in love with her. Learn to love yourself first and foremost, whatever you hate about yourself or what happened to you or your life, stop. Stop feeding that cycle, stop being hard on yourself, and don't look to fill the void inside yourself with someone else. Friends can be great, partners can be wonderful, but you've got to get right with yourself.

10 Years at 40, it's fine.
10 Years at 17, no walk away now, be honest with her about why, be the adult. 

I've always thought age becomes less meaningful the older you are, as the relative time you've had on this earth gets closer together. So if this was you at 40 asking about a 30-year-old old I'd say go for it, at 30 she's old enough to know what she wants, to know life, and to be mature enough to make informed decisions. At teen ages, she's not going to have the life experience to be mature, the context for her choices, or any understanding of herself or what she wants out of life. You aren't yet fully mature either, from my experience with myself and others, most of us do a lot of maturing during our 20's. In this case, you have to be the adult and put a stop to it. - Plus outside of the physicality of it all, and feeling good to be loved, what are you going to have in common to really bond over?

I dated a 28-year-old while being 20 for example, she lied about her age at first, which I forgave her for, I was too young to consider it odd and I was happy just getting laid (and as a student with her cooking). It was purely physical and didn't last. We didn't connect beyond that initial attraction, which lasted 6 good months, but that was it. I was a messed up guy at 20, so she showed me affection, and I took that without questioning it.

Whatever you've been through to put you in your dark moods, people here can help. Love and look after yourself.

Edited March 29 by BlueOak

[Emerald]

My advice would be to avoid it all costs, even if she’s within the age of consent for your region.

Honestly, even if she was 20 and you were 30 it still wouldn’t be too great for her.

Take this from me as someone who met their 32 yr old husband at 20. It really made me miss out on a lot of normal early-20s things as I felt it skipped me straight to my 30s.

But dating someone 10 years older as a 17 year old would be incredibly damaging and stunting for her in ways you may not anticipate.

And she probably is looking for something in you that you can’t give her.

Younger people tend to get attracted to older people because they’re looking for someone mature to take care of them… when they didn’t receive it from others.

And unfortunately this leaves them a match to immature older people that don’t consider their vulnerability.

[FourCrossedWands]

If you are a teacher/instructor and she was your student, you shouldn't have started anything romantic with her. Not because of morality, but because it can be very dangerous for your career for obvious reasons. Are you 100% sure she will not report you for sexual harassment in the future? I wouldn't risk it.

Edited March 31 by FourCrossedWands