Dear Abby:

I’ve been amicably married to my husband for 16 years, and we enjoy each other’s company a lot. However, over the last year, I’ve had difficulty hearing him. He tends to mumble while sitting in his chair, and I can’t tell if he’s talking to me or to himself. He also tries to talk to me from the next room or when I have the sink running. Despite asking him to speak up in various ways, he refuses. He says he doesn’t like “shouting” at me, insisting others can hear him just fine.

After having my hearing checked and finding no changes, the problem persists. I often have to ignore him unless we’re in the same room facing each other, which makes him grumpy when I don’t respond or know what he said. How can I make him understand that if I can’t hear him, I can’t respond, regardless o

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