inner child

Inner child is a pop-psych way of saying there’s a kid version of you inside your brain that still carries old feelings from childhood, like hurt, fear, anger, and also the need for play and comfort. People use it when they want to explain why an adult might overreact, self-sabotage, or chase joy in a weirdly specific way, then “heal” by being gentler with that wounded part. One sharp roast, it is basically therapy talk for “I have