Latest Release
Parents Are Being Played Like A Video Game!
Video Games are affecting today’s society, parenting and education. Sometimes causing addiction, impatience, disrespect, and even violence.
Gregory L. Chester
The Author
The Author, Gregory L. Chester, an Engineer by education, with BSEE degree, has had an extensive 30-year career in Technical Marketing, Sales, and Management. The Marketing part of his career has made him a keenly aware and a detailed observer of human nature. Mr. Chester is the Copyright holder of a unique Decision-making charting method and the Trademark holder of the word: “SpiderGraph”. Mr. Chester was on the original advisory board for the “Programmable Controls” trade magazine and has written several technical articles for leading Factory Automation trade magazines. Mr Chester’s Selection Charting Method is featured in the “Standard Handbook of Industrial Automation”, as edited by Douglas Considine.
Mr. Chester’s company, GLC New Product Consultants (GLCNPC), was a Sales & Marketing Consultant firm for high tech companies that would like to launch new products and/or revitalize existing products with new features, etc. GLCNPC was hired several years ago by the Dayton (Ohio) City School Board to design and instruct 7th and 8th graders at the Wilber Wright Middle School about The Learning of Character (TLC), a newly proposed character education program. With the aid of five (5) Child Psychologists, GLCNPC developed the materials and instructed a pilot Character Education Class for two years.
A comment from the Author: Our children are our future! Consequently, I must say that TLC was by far the most fulfilling project of my consulting career and that Teaching is by far one of the most honorable professions one could ever strive for!
Book Review
Gregory L. Chester’s new book on parenting states that “It’s never too late to become a good parent”, then he proceeds to challenge, encourage, instruct and warn parents of the privileges and pitfalls of raising children.
The author begins by telling his readers about Dr. Benjamin Spock’s 1946 book, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, which changed the way generations of people viewed parenting. Sixty years later, Mr. Chester’s book attempts to correct the misunderstanding and confusion that followed Dr. Spock’s theories of permissiveness and equality.
“Adults and children are not supposed to be on the same level of equality”, observes the author, “otherwise there wouldn’t be any 16, 18 and 21-year-old legal limits”. Parents protect, teach, earn money for food and shelter, and should have the knowledge and experience to make wise decisions – things that children can’t do and shouldn’t be expected to do. Misplaced equality produces kids who take advantage of and even intimidate their parents. “Treat children as individuals,” he cautions, “not as equals”.
The book claims that from an infant’s first wail (that brings a parental response) the “game” begins, and these games will escalate as they get older and wiser. If parents don’t open their eyes and be aware of the games and tests their children present (and justifiably react with authority) their children may not become well adjusted for the Real World that awaits them. “The return of the rules is badly needed today”, the author says, “but without the harsh consequences used in the era of our parents”.
The book gives some very scary statistics on bullies and their victims. It lists the extreme dangers of violent video games, including their connection to aggressive behavior, drugs, and acts of murder such as the Columbine High School massacre, which was an acting-out of the game, Doom. It also touches briefly on Family Terrorism.
But, Parents Are Being Played Like A Video Game is also full of helpful tips on a variety of things: from chores, to homework issues, to peer problems, to divorce. It offers a test that readers can take to see what type of nurturing parent they are, and in the extensive bibliography, it lists numerous books and websites that parents can go to for help. “Parenting is definitely not easy”, says Gregory L. Chester. Amen to that!
He closes his book with his benediction: “Good luck and MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU, and may your kids make you proud!”
View Points
Nevada resident Gregory L. Chester tapped his experiences working as a consultant on a Dayton (Ohio) City School Board character education program to write “Parents Are Being Played Like a Video Game!”
Chester is first to admit he’s no Dr. Spock. His professional background is technical sales, marketing and management. But, drawing from newspaper articles, Internet publications, current events and personal experience, Chester strives to guide parents through contemporary challenges.
In our TLC (The Learning of Character) project, we devised a method to regain control of a classroom if a student or class clown was trying to disrupt the class or show off – all students could stand up at the same time (with a nod from the teacher) and point their index finger at the troublemaker to show their disapproval, while not saying a word, until the disrupter got the point and sat down or was asked to sit down. It was necessary that all students stood up at the same time, to eliminate any possibility of retaliation, which might happen if only a few students would stand. After the troublemaker became aware that the whole class was not going to put up with their foolishness anymore, the incidences would decrease. Needless-to-say, the name of this awareness exercise was called “To Get the Point”. If the troublemaker didn’t get the point, it was then time for a student/teacher talk outside the classroom, away from their audience.
