~The Art of Listening~ 

When I ask you to listen to me,
And you start giving me advice,
You have not done what I asked. 

When I ask that you listen to me,
And you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way,
You are trampling on my feelings. 

When I ask you to listen to me,
And you feel you have to do something to solve my problems,
You have failed me, strange as that may seem.
Listen... All that I ask is that you listen,
Not talk or do - just hear me. 

When you do something for me
That I need to do for myself,
You contribute to my fear and feeling of inadequacy. 

But when you accept as a simple fact
That I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational,
Then I can quit trying to convince you
And go about the business
Of understanding what's behind my feelings. 

So, please listen and just hear me
And, if you want to talk,
Wait a minute for your turn - and I'll listen to you. 

~From an Ann Landers column~