Straightforward: my 29-year-old son is dating a 16-year-old girl he met at a jazz festival this summer. Openly. He had a same age long-term girlfriend until last year, when they broke up amicably. We really loved her, she was basically our daughter-in-law and we’re still in touch. His current girlfriend’s parents know about their relationship & are cool with it. For the record: it’s also legal in our country. We don’t think it’s right though, he’s a grown ass man while she’s a high schooler. He’s also very successful professionally, handsome, takes good care of himself, has a good personality, etc. so it’s not like he’s lacking options. He just says he likes her - that’s his why. He’s not a bad person, I know that, but still this whole situation has changed our perception of him quite a bit. We’re having a rough time to say the least.
Never said that, never meant that.
When I said “inner child” I meant his own capability of leaving his adult responsibilities behind for a while in favor of doing things that society as a whole deems childish. Indulging in certain hobbies, acting a certain way. I can’t find the right English word right now. In German we might call it being “unbeschwert”, so maybe “unburdened”.
I was specifically replying to the passage that he should have spent those 13 years in age difference growing as a person to an extent that he shouldn’t have much in common with a 16-year old anymore. And to that I ask: why? Must every adult be a joyless, mindless worker drone who can’t enjoy the things they enjoyed when they were 16? I’m happy to discuss if the relationship OP described might be problematic because of a power dynamic and that’s been done to death in this thread. But saying he isn’t allowed to feel connected to someone younger than him based on shared interests or a need to escape his adult responsibilities for a while feels bitter and judgemental.
None of this has anything to do with me labeling anyone as an actual child.
Edit: Maybe a picture says more than a thousand words so let me link to my favorite XKCD: https://xkcd.com/150/