My mum doesn't want me to meet him

Meet somewhere very public. If you can, meet somewhere you are familiar with.
Do not go back to his house.

These three tips minimise any danger that could possibly exist, although honestly he sounds like a nice guy and I'm sure there won't be a problem. I do recommend following them even if you really trust him though. After a few meetings your mum will relax more.

Yes you are an adult and you can do what you wish, however, right now you are also an adult under her house and her daughter.

I empathise with your mother because really you don't know this guy just an internet persona he/she may have created.

I won't tell you what to do, you are gonna do what you want anyway but that's my view on the matter. It's also pretty sad every time I read this sort of thing here, usually always girls who think they know someone and love them having talked only online even to go so far to call this stranger a boyfriend.

For about a year, I've been talking to a guy I meet on an internet forum. I'm 18 and he's 24. We have a lot of common interests and he's always been there for me when I've been upset or stressed, often being one of the few people I feel I can talk to about my problems. In August, we're planning to meet up in person and I'm really excited about it, but my mum has been very negative about the whole thing which is kind of ruining my happiness about it.

My mum has told me multiple times that she is not happy about me meeting him. My mum said she doesn't trust him. He doesn't have many friends on Facebook and my mum said that makes her think he might not be who he says he is. Also, my mum doesn't like the age difference between us, even though that has never seemed to be a problem between me and him when we've been talking. Besides, we're both adults and he is one of the nicest people I know. My mum isn't happy about the fact that I'm travelling all the way to his town. Me and him discussed the possibility of meeting somewhere in between both of us, but then I told him I was fine with travelling all the way. He has anxiety and struggles with travelling, so I'd rather him not be more nervous when I don't mind travelling.

When I was 14, I met a different online friend in person, but my mum was okay with this because she and her fiance were both there. My mum complained about the fact I will be all on my own and I told her that this is different because I'm 18 now, but she didn't agree. Plus, I will be meeting him at the train station, which is a public place. I understand that my mum is trying to look at for me, but I am an adult now. If things go well on results day, I will be starting university this year and moving out, so I think I should be okay meeting up with someone. Is my mum being overly negative about this, or does she have a point?

I'm upset with the things she has been saying because, for most of the summer, I have been bored and upset at not having a social life. At one point, I didn't leave the house for more than three weeks, which my mum said was sad. My mum has also complained about how negative I've been. Now I'm actually going to meet someone and I've been feeling positive about it, but my mum is being negative about it.

For quite some time, I think I've been developing feelings for the guy I am meeting up with and I've been imagining us being in a relationship, but I didn't think it would go anywhere. However, a while ago when we were talking, he told me he would like us to be more than friends one day, and I told him I would like that too. So there is a possibility of me and him being in a relationship but, with what my mum has been saying about him and the idea of me meeting up with him, I don't think my mum would accept us being together and I think, if we ended up together, it could cause problems between me and my mum. The thought of that upsets my because me and my mum have always been close. I haven't told him about any of this because I don't want to upset him and make him worry about it.

Sorry about the essay!

Your mum just wants the best for you, and to protect you and keep you safe. It might feel overbearing and feel negative, but of course she's going to be worried.

The age difference might not feel like a lot, but remember that you're about to go to uni and he's either finished or hasn't been and is now working or looking for work... Two different stages of life. It'll also be mostly long distance and you'll be travelling probably every time if you don't want him to, and maybe you'll feel like you don't want to start university tied to someone else... Maybe you do. That's already a few weights that you may have to carry.

From what you've described I wouldn't be able to guess one way or another if this person is who you think he is, though I guess it's a bit cynical to look at it like that. Just follow the advice of the above posters when it comes to your safety. Plan the day in very public places and don't go to his place the first day you've seen him, etc.

Like the previous person said, it's important that you meet somewhere public, but I also think you should remain in public spaces for the first couple of meetings so you can gauge how safe you really feel in his presence. Being over cautious is better than being under cautious and will help to ease your mum's mind. I can see her point, since 'catfishing' does happen, but so do many successful relationships started online. The age thing isn't a massive issue in my opinion since you are already 18, but just make sure it doesnt tip the 'power' balance in his favour (this is me being weird, but I think this can sometimes be an issue in age gap relationships). Good luck, i'm sure everything will go great!