Never Ending Tantrums

Uggggggh!!! Will it never end. So our 4 year old known as N4 had the worst tantrum last night. Dare I say I believe it was a rage. We almost got the video camera out - if we had one. We have a digital camera that has a video setting, but we couldn't find it and I digress. Anyway, we get on our kids about having good attitudes and not bad attitudes when something doesn't go our way. So N4 got the privelege of playing his game boy that his BP's of course got him because he did not pee in his pull-up (which this has been a great motivation to get up at night and go potty otherwise we probably would not even let them play these games.) Anyway, he was having a bad attitude and grunting angrily at the game, so my DH very nicely says "Bud, if you can't have a good attitude playing the game maybe you should change the game to an easier game that you can play." N4 continued to play the same game and continued to have a bad attitude, my DH finally told him he had to change the game (not a choice this time) and he wouldn't do it, so DH took the game away and N4 was screaming and flailing and out of control. I asked N4 to go downstairs if he was going to carry on because he was scaring the baby and plus it was very loud and we were trying to get dinner ready. My DH walked him downstairs him screaming the whole time and when my DH tried to talk to him he was scratching his hand around his head and I mean literally scratching his hands over the top of his head and kicking and screaming. We did not put him in a time out, my DH simply told him when he could hear that he could stop the tantrum then he could join us. This tantrum went on for at least an hour. N4 never stopped the tantrum until he fell asleep on the couch, which was probably another 1/2 hour later. So for 1.5 hours he was in this rage, just because my DH asked him to change a game that was frustrating him. I have asked their CW on a couple of occassions to get this child tested, but nothing has happened yet and we have had him now for 6 months. X6 was laughing at N4 and we had to tell X6 that it was not funny. These are the kinds of things that worry me about X6 because he does not have the appropriate response to certain situations. I just chalk it up to his brain trauma.

I also got a note from the daycare saying that my bill had not been paid and if it was not paid that day then the kids could not return to school. Lucky me! The CW told me to have them call him and I did and this lady at the daycare keeps stalking me as if I can do something about it. I was told they had worked with DCFS before so they should know how things work. Oh my word . . . the daycare director just called me and told me she has to have this money or the kids will not be coming back. The CW just talked to the finance lady and they said the paperwork would not be processed for another 5-7 days and then the daycare would get paid 2-6 weeks after that! Talk about a slow process. Luckily the director is okay with this. At least for today! Hopefully she will not kick the kids out of school while we are on vacation and they are with a respite provider, but like our licensing worker said - "They are someone else's kids, if there is a problem DCFS will take care of it." But I don't think these workers understand it is not that easy to just give a child over who has been in your care for 6 months without thinking about his well being. I agree with those who say that CW's should be foster parents before they can work in the system, this way they will see how much work and discipline goes into these kids and why we are soo attached even though we all know they are not OUR children!!!!