Maturity: Unfortunately, there is no way to gauge it. We have met some younger men (and women) who are mature enough at a young age to hobby, but the vast majority of time wasters and problems have indeed come from those in their mid-30s or below. That is just the reality--we know, we are just stating the obvious, but it is true.

It's kind of sad, though, because we have had some great times with that same age group, which is one of the reasons we don't set a minimum age. It's just too bad there is no way to check their maturity level.

If anyone knows of a good way to check maturity as part of the verification process, please let us know!

It's probably been said before, but if a person can enlist in the military at 18 yrs old and die for their country, then the person should not be discriminated against in regard to participating in the hobby because of their age.

As long as a person is of legal age, they should be able to be a hobbyist, assuming they have the maturity to act like an adult and not an irresponsible teen.  It's also important that they have the means to support the hobby ...it's not cheap!  I've known a few guys who started hobbying when they became of legal age.  Some wanted to lose their virginity to a pro, but one of them went into debt when he got addicted to the hobby, since he was too immature to manage his finances.

I think that 21 is a good standard for an age requirement for fellows to start in the hobby but good luck to the poor boy trying to find a lady who wants his business. My current policy is that I won't see anyone my daughters age or younger. This means that each year my minimum age goes up. I know that 20 somethings are technically adults but I still think of her and her peers as kids. To me it is creepy as an adult woman to be with someone young enough to be my child. Maybe that will change for me when my daughter gets into her 30s.

I don't think it would be fair to set an age limit. As long as hobbyist understand the industry and are willing to be respectful and follow screening procedures then age shouldn't matter.

-- Modified on 12/13/2016 1:08:31 AM