Hearing is a sense most animals are born with, but listening is a skill that can be learned by higher-ordered animals. You know, such as humans. It cannot be assumed that just because people hear you that they are listening to you. Listening is work. It s difficult, exhausting work until you strengthen it through use and repetition of use and a conscious effort to use it.
Children are awash in audio stimuli in today s society.
The soundtrack in a movie theater is designed to literally surround the viewer with vibrating music, noise and speech. Movies encourage viewers to sit back, relax and enjoy the movie without worries or having to analyze and think about what is happening. TV advertisements repeatedly bombard our senses with jingles and mottoes and catch phrases. It s as if they just don t listen sometimes. Sure, There are activities that demand true listening through interaction that act as listening training sessions and are also fun.