I said "wow, sounds like you having a hard time..." and told her I knew she could handle it.
I don't understand. What did she say? What were you validating? Were you telling this to her, based on what your kids said in the phone conversation about their Christmas?
hmmmm you've got me wondering if validation pertains only to the relationship, or to other aspects of her life.
It specifically had to do with the water situation in her house. For some reason, it wasn't working, W and kids couldn't shower or wash dishes, etc. She texted me to tell me about her troubles.
I am thinking I validated how hard she must be having it, but expressed faith in her ability to handle it. Am I wrong about that? I'll go back and reread the validation sticky, but I'd appreciate your insight.
Either way, it didn't make much difference, because she didn't get the texts.....
I would say the first part of what you said is validation. If she was also expressing a feeling of being overwhelmed by the water being out, then the second part is not validation because you are essentially telling her that her feelings are wrong and she can handle it. If she was expressing feelings that she was working to fix the water problem, then yes it would be validation because you are confirming her feelings about her abilities.
