Karoline Leavitt's Age Gap With Husband Was a Tough Conversation With Her Parents

Karoline Leavitt's tackled some tough questions in her time as the White House Press Secretary ... but she says the age gap between her and her husband was the subject of an awkward conversation with her parents.

Leavitt made the admission about her personal life in a recent episode of the "Pod Force One" podcast ... she said telling her parents she was dating a man who is nearly their own age was "challenging" at first.

Leavitt's husband, Nicholas Riccio, is 60 and Karoline is 28 -- that's a 32-year age gap. They got married in January this year ... they welcomed a baby boy, Niko, in July last year.

Leavitt's parents were suspicious about the gap ... although she said they eventually got over it once they started spending time with Riccio.

She said her folks eventually found it "quite easy" to hang out with him.