Ten years ago I met Chris Montgomery and her husband in Costa Rica. It's been years since we talked, but she got a hold of The Art of Listening Prayer and wrote the following:

I began this book only a few days ago and immediately God used my own kids to teach me a lesson. I have 4 girls who range in age from almost a year and a half up to 10 years old. After school one afternoon they were especially chatty. Constantly they would all come at me from all sides (even the smallest of them!) to tell me about all that was going on in their lives. By bedtime I was feeling overwhelmed as I hadn't had an opportunity all day to say anything on my own behalf. I specifically sat down with the 2 eldest (school-aged) kids to tell them how I felt and that if they had a friend who only ever spoke at them and not with them they wouldn't feel too good in that relationship either.

Early the next morning when I got up to spend time with God, he reminded me of how I felt the night before. He taught me that I was in the habit of praying, unloading my cares, complaints, requests, petitions, etc. on him, only always talking and that he doesn't have an opportunity to get a word in edge-wise. He showed me that he has much to show me and to say and that I needed to stop every now and again to give him the opportunity to do so.