I agree, Bonnie. This is a complicated situation. I have two girls in college (one a freshman) and I honestly cannot imagine either of them with a fifty-two year old roommate. (And, as much as I adore them, I can't imagine a fifty-two year old relishing in that situation either). Not because of the age difference per se, but because of the differences in life experience and the perspective shifts those bring.

When I was 19, I volunteered for a suicide crisis line along with a sixty year old woman and we became really close. We adored each other. But was it a peer relationship? No. I thought of her as a mom substitute, a mentor, a wise big sister. All of whom I wanted and needed at the time. But those were not things I was looking for in a roommate.