LISTEN before you answer...

Child: "Can I have a [something ridiculously sweet or inappropriate]?"
Male parent: "OK".
Child proceeds with the [something ridiculously sweet or inappropriate], having been given the approval needed and the female parent now walks in.
Female parent: "Why does [whoever] have a [whatever] when we're about to sit down for dinner?"
Male parent: "I dunno."

AAARRRGH!

Sometimes it's bewildering...
C: "Does that clock say 2:30 or 3:30?"
MP: "Uh huh."
C: sigh...

Now we're told we need to address the MP in the text of our question, because he doesn't always listen. (duh)
A variation of the above happened the other evening....

C: "Is this a TV show or a movie we're watching?"
...silence...
C: "Dad?"
MP: "Yes."
C: "Which is it?"
MP: "Which is what?"
C: (laughing) "omg... is this a TV show or a movie?"
MP: "I dunno - I think it's a movie. maybe."
C: "Why did you answer "yes?"?
MP: "Didn't you call me?"

Apparently, if the "Dad" had been included in the first question, the whole exchange would have been smoother.

My own father wears two hearing aids and still doesn't hear well. This exchange took place back when he was aware his hearing was getting worse, but was in a bit of denial about it. I think he may have had one hearing aid, but only wore it occasionally.
This was a holiday dinner of some sort, with family sitting around the table. My mother got up to use the restroom. The male parent in this one is of course, my dad. Can't remember who the child is, my l'il sis, probably.

MP: "Where's your mother?"
C: "She went to the bathroom."
MP: "Did it ring?"

Hysterical laughter followed, and the story gets repeated frequently at family gatherings still. Wish I could say it's inherited, but that would have been MY dad, not my husband's dad... so that doesn't work.

Maybe it's the gender.