My Hidden Kink Reveal

I’ve been in a relationship with Alex for five years now. We’re both 35 and have always had a solid understanding of each other’s boundaries. Over the past few months, I’ve started to feel this strange pull towards something that feels new but also strangely familiar. It’s not like any other fantasy or kink we’ve ever discussed together. Last weekend, during one of our regular check-ins, I finally opened up about it. There was no way around it, my mind had been on it for days, and I needed to share this with Alex before it consumed me entirely. The feeling hit me last month when we were going through some old photographs from college. A lot of those pictures remind us both how young and reckless we used to be back then. It was the first time since graduating that I felt a pang in my chest, missing those days when the future seemed so wide open. But it wasn’t just nostalgia, there was something else nagging at me. I started daydreaming about college, about how easy life seemed back then despite all our struggles with classes and jobs. The more I thought about it, the harder it became to shake off this strange desire to return to that time in my head. It wasn’t about wanting to be a student again or anything like that, rather, there was something about being treated like one, if you know what I mean. I confessed this to Alex last weekend, and they were understanding but also curious. We talked it through and came to the conclusion that maybe it’s just a phase, but we both agreed to try exploring it within our existing boundaries. This week, we took tentative steps in that direction, and something feels right about it. I’m not sure if this is normal or if I should be worried about how deep this feeling goes. Part of me loves the idea of being playful like a student again but also fears that maybe there’s something deeper lurking behind those daydreams. So here I am, turning to anyone who can offer advice on whether this kink is just another facet of my personality or if it signals something needing more attention. Is it normal for someone in their mid-thirties to suddenly develop a fascination with the idea of youthful dependency? Or is there something deeper going on that needs to be addressed before I delve any further into exploring this side of myself?