Hey Rock. When W suggested that you have a girlfriend, I wonder if a response that shared less information with her would have been more helpful. You want to keep things about yourself largely a mystery. If it comes up again, consider something like "It sounds like you're feeling down" or "Gee, it must be terrible to think that".
These are examples I took directly from the "validation cheat sheet" on this site. I recommend memorizing a few sentences from that cheat sheet for future use. Even something like "We're separated. I feel uncomfortable talking about these topics" might help shut down more questions or comments.
I hope you and your kids have the best Christmas possible.
Never validate a cheat.
Best answer would have been “Why do you believe I only have ONE girlfriend?”
