I Was Thinking... Did You Hear That?

More and more of my friends now have hearing aids. It seems to be a normal progression for people our age. So far, I’ve resisted getting my hearing checked because I hear just fine, or at least I think so.
But the last time one of my daughters visited, she asked why I had the TV so loud. My wife may also have a different opinion. She complains that she has to repeat herself a lot. It could be I didn’t hear her, or it may also be because she was in the bedroom, and I was in the kitchen. Occasionally she may begin a sentence and continues as she turns and walks down the hall away from me.
Another explanation has to do with what she claims is my “selective hearing.” I will admit this may happen when she is asking me something about her quilt project during the last two minutes of a football game. On occasion, she swears she told me something and I claim I never remember hearing it, and we may both be right. A husband once remarked that women use twice as many words as men. His wife responded, yes that’s true, because we have to keep repeating ourselves.
Men may have a difficult time admitting they have a hearing problem. A son took his elderly father to the doctor for a physical. The next day he saw him late at night at a local bar with an attractive young woman. He asked, “Dad, what the heck are you doing?” His father replied, “I’m following the doctor’s orders, get a hot chick, show her the town, and drink beer.” The amazed son shook his head and said, “Dad, he said get your heart checked, slow down, and you can’t hear.”
It isn’t surprising that men my age have hearing problems. We grew up at a time when no one thought about using hearing protection. Most of us also were associated with noisy things. Farm machinery was loud. The louder the car or motorcycle the better it was. We shot guns, mowed lawns, and went to stock car races all without ear plugs. Even the military was not high on ear protection in the past.
But I do believe hearing is vastly different between men and women. Even growing up, girls whispered to each other while boys usually yelled. Possibly our hearing problems started early in life. I do remember my mother saying, “If I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times...” Apparently, I didn’t hear her. But I do believe women’s hearing is more sensitive than men.
Most of my elementary teachers were women. Even if I was at the back of the room trying to talk to a buddy, they would catch me. When my wife and I have a slight disagreement and I mumble something under my breath as I walk away, she’ll say, “I heard that!” I can be totally involved in watching a TV show and my wife will ask, “Did you hear that? I heard a car door opening. I think someone is here.”
Until they ring the doorbell or start pounding on the door, I wouldn’t have a clue. The later it is at night the better most women’s hearing seems to be. Most women can hear that one squeaky step when their husband tries to sneak home quietly after being out with the boys. Many men have been nudged out of a sound sleep because their wives heard a noise downstairs. And even in this day when men and women are equal, it is the man that is usually expected to investigate the noise his wife heard.
We will probably all suffer some level of hearing loss during our lifetime. While we can make fun of our hearing loss at times, it is a valuable sense to keep us connected to those around us.
Did You Ever Wonder? — Why do banks have braille instructions at the drive-up ATM?