A metaphorical child that it looked upon by another as a child but they are not legally bound or bound by blood. The metaphorical child may be old, younger or the same age as the metaphorical parent. The child is treated as ones own.
Fingers is my metaphorical child even though he is older than me. He is seen as a child and treated that way but has his own family. I am his metaphorical mother.
by Random quirks December 13, 2015