Any species with a short lifespan is off limits, by your logic.

Kinda, yeah. “You’re really mature for your age” is fucking creepy.

any good alien story is about seeing the universe through the lens of a different culture.

That’s not happening in a vacuum though. It is “different” specifically because of the comparisons to human cultures. There’s this concept in science fiction called “cognitive estrangement”, basically you use something novel to cast new light on the familiar. The alien culture becomes a fresh perspective on your own experience.

There’s room for things that are truly bizarre and unrelatable but done correctly it’s going to feel weird and unsettling. Cosmic horror type stuff.