A 30-year-old woman has claimed she looks so young that people mistake her husband for her dad and her children for her siblings.
Carolyn Fultz, from Phoenix, Arizona, has been with her 34-year-old husband, Drew Fultz, for more than 10 years, throughout which she has welcomed three boys aged eight, five and two.
There are only four years between the mum and dad, but a large height difference combined with Carolyn's 'baby face' has resulted in many people assuming there is a much bigger age gap between them.
Some shocked onlookers have mistaken Carolyn for being a teenager, though the mum-of-three is used to it after having spent years listening to comments saying she looks younger than she is.
Advert
"I’ve always looked young for my age,” she explained.
"In middle school I looked like I was in elementary and so on. Now people assume I’m anywhere from 16 to 26. Sometimes they don’t think I’m an adult.”
Drew and Carolyn started dating in August 2011 before they tied the knot in 2014. The couple have a large height difference with Drew, a general partner at a private equity firm, towering above 5ft 4ins Carolyn at 6ft 6ins.
The father is often said to be mistaken for being in his 40s, which only fuels the belief that he's Carolyn's dad rather than her husband.
"People are always assuming I’m my husband’s daughter too," she said. "There is always a moment of surprise when they find out I’m 30 and we’re married.”
Advert
The mum insists Drew is 'not offended by it', saying: “He doesn’t really care that much. We’re used to the mistake all the time. The second we start talking and interacting with each other and the kids' people can see the dynamic.
“If I get my hair cut and get a different hairdresser, I’ll at some point bring up my kids and you’ll see that they thought I was in my teens. People are always shocked then apologetic when they find out. I get it all the time, so I tell them it’s OK.”
Carolyn and Drew welcomed their son in November that same year, but her appearance has led people to believe she's the older sibling or babysitter of the boys who are actually her children.
"I’ll be at the play park and people will think I’m the older sister or babysitter for my kids. I get asked all the time what school I go to," she said.
Advert
“If I don’t have my kids with me and I drop into conversation about them people will look confused and say: ‘You have three kids already?’ Just the other day the contractors working on our house presumed I was the older sister to my kids."
Although their appearances might leave people confused, Carolyn and Drew are secure in their relationship as her husband has seen her 'grow into and mature as a woman'.
“He doesn’t see me the same way people do for the first time when meeting me," Carolyn explained, adding: "I’m a confident, 30-year-old woman and I don’t feel I need to prove anything anymore.
“If they think I’m a babysitter or daughter to my husband let them think it. They’d realise I’m not if they take the time to get to know me.”
Topics: Sex and Relationships, TikTok, Viral