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Since I have taken a child development course, I understand what is happening here. Kids this age are very ritualistic and need a routine to keep things normal for them. For example, if I forget to floss MaryBeth's teeth after helping her brush at night and tell her to go n to bed now...she will begin to cry and jump around because we have broken the normal routine.
I think that the above-mentioned idea of having a taped showing of each of the shows kids are used to watching at that time is a good idea in case of trouble like what has happened.
Now, if you want to fix this problem, locking them up in their room will not help because they think they are being punished for something that they were unable to understand. Thier routine is a must for them, as that is what they understand. Many people treat kids like little adults, which was the mainstream view point of the 1400s from what my professor has taught us. in fact, they are far from that, and do not even know why they are feeling so upset about the loss of a routine.
Think of it as Withdrawl symptoms. If a chain smoker stops cold one day, he will freak out after a short while.
I have asked my professor about this already, because I didn't like how Karen had gotten into the habit of carrying MaryBeth to bed. I had told Karen to stop, because she has back problems and when she did MaryBeth fought against this change with everything she could muster. Being at 8pm at night did not help her mood, either. The professor told me that I ahve to ease her off of it like I would with any addiction. Instead of every night, it would be every other night. Then every two nights. Then once a week. Eventually, she would get that idea that rides were a special treat and not a routine.
I hope this helps. Try to understand that the kids need structure and diciplined outlines to follow on a daily basis.
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