The truths of self-awareness sting a bit.

Somewhere along the line, I figured out that the qualities I most despise in other people were the same qualities I intensely disliked in myself. Top of the list: being judgmental. Regardless of politics or religious convictions, that I-know-better-for-you-and-am-smarter-than-you quality just drives me wild. I hate it in others, and I hate it most in myself.

So it's always an unpleasant surprise when I find myself in the middle of judging someone else.

I caught myself again this morning because I read something on a single parent website that was nagging at me. Someone had posted quite a bit, responding to someone else's question about dating, and then posting the question, "How Do You Mend A Broken Heart"?

And I'll just be honest, I was irritated. How is your broken heart germane to being a single parent? And, how can you be a good parent when your focus is on your social life, your clubbing, your single status?

But the biggest question is, why does this bother me so much?

When I was alone, I felt like my shortcomings were pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I suffered for my mistakes, and I know I irritated some friends and family, but now the stakes are much higher. I have a daughter, and I view myself as a steward whose actions will speak as loud as my words, if not moreso, and I have little to show her in matters of the heart. Neither a frantic bar-and-internet based search for love nor my current approach of complete disengagement are what I want to pass on to her. We want more for our children, and more than almost anything, I want my daughter to be capable of happy, healthy relationships.

And on that note, nap time seems to be over.