A dummy in the conversation

Mothers are mothers the world over; it doesn’t matter what language they speak, when they are engrossed in conversation and dealing with the baby at the same time, it’s the baby who gets the shortest straw.
I watched as mum continued a deep and meaningful conversation with her partner and holding the baby in one arm offered the dummy with the other. Each time the dummy came close the baby struggled and pushed the hand away, pulling down towards the beach and everything which was stimulating below. Mum didn’t give up, she just restrained and then re-presented; again the baby struggled and pushed the dummy away only more violently with kicking as well as arms and hands. Again the mum continued her conversing and waited. This went on for about 2 or 3 minutes by which time the fight seemed to have gone out of the child and it gave in with a look of disquiet but accepted the dummy. Without a second look the mum pushed the dummy into the mouth, then without taking her eyes off her partner placed the child into the push chair. The child squirmed and struggled but had lost the fight.
It made me wonder how many time we ignore and presume in a similar way when we want something done. Do we ignore the comments of the other person and railroad straight through?
I thought back to when I was teaching and the number of times I probably did exactly that; was it for their benefit or like the dummy was it just a way of getting my way? Did I bend their will to mine and was it beneficial to them?
The baby kicked and struggled pushing the dummy out of its mouth once more. It began to ‘chatter’ in the way babies do, no screams, no crying, just happy chatter and the dummy was pushed back.
Mm, so do we do the same? Do we push back the chatter, the comments, the expressions of others because it suits us not to hear or possibly not to listen?
My job is to give time to those who need to be heard; if we all allowed this would we need people like me? Would we not be that extended support system which doesn’t place the dummy into the mouth just to get peace and quiet?