Everyone has an innate need to be heard. It’s what drives a child to ask a question fifty times if that’s what it takes to get the mother’s attention. If what you say hasn’t been heard, you feel frustrated and somewhat lost. Here’s how validation can save a relationship. She told some girlfriends. They pointed out how awkward an ex-wife’s attendance could be. beekeeping She told her mother. Mom sided with the girlfriends, then added her two cents because she hadn’t forgiven the man for the divorce. Mary felt frustrated. She told a co-worker who said it could be awkward, then added, “but it must be upsetting.”