Being middle aged, another birthday rolled around about the time that my nephew graduated from high school, and the birthday card I received from my father, which he gave me around the time we were gathering for the graduation ceremony, was quite interesting under the circumstances. It read something like "cherish the boy you were, love the man you've become" and it showed a pair of sneakers and a pair of dress shoes. I believe the card was designed for giving to kids when they graduate or come of age rather than middle-age people, so the subtle message was that my maturity level is about the same as my nephew. I'm single without children so I'm accustomed to my family treating me as somewhat the red-headed step, but I still found the card to be kind of a shot over the bow.