Eat Pray Knit

I just told my parents that my first boyfriend is 9 years older than me. That would be a problem for me except he acts like he’s 22 or 23. I didn’t even know he was that much older than me til recently. I didn’t want to tell them until they met him so they could see his maturity level compared to mine. My mom, I get the impression, wants me to break up with him. I absolutely do not want to do that. He means the world to me and I know he feels the same about me. It would shatter both our hearts if I had to do that. He’s quite possibly the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If we are ever going to break up, I want it to be on our terms, not because of family or friends. God usually I know what to do in tough situations but I have no clue what to do here. Do I follow my parents like I always have or make my own decision? I worry that if I don’t follow my parents this will escalate into me getting kicked out or something horrible like that, though I’m probably exaggerating. Please help. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice?