Visiting my son’s family was vastly different than visiting my daughter’s for many reasons but the most striking difference was that his children had been removed from the home by Child Protection. My son and his girlfriend have limited supervised visits while they get counselling for their respective healing journeys.
The supervised visits felt intrusive. That’s the best way I can describe it, intrusive. Imagine having a stranger in your home watching you interact with your spouse and children and taking notes on your behaviour. It’s almost as if you’re not allowed to have a bad day and you have to be the perfect parent all the time.
While some of the Family Support Workers who supervise were friendly and try to be unobtrusive there was one who made for an uncomfortable atmosphere, her silence deafening and her stares judgemental. She reported my son’s girlfriend for saying “shit”. Seriously! Even with the friendlier Family Support Workers I felt as though every move I made was scrutinized, I can only imagine how my son and his girlfriend feel. It was hard trying to acquaint myself with my grandchildren while being observed.
I could clearly see how they became frustrated with the process. Frankly, the children should have been back home by now but there was a minor altercation with a neighbour that caused Child Protection to delay the reunification.
**Don’t be too quick to judge people whose children have been removed from their homes temporarily. They aren’t all abusive to their children nor are they all grossly neglectful. Sometimes the parents need therapy and time to heal from their own trauma so they can break the cycle with their own children.
* Photo Courtesy Of Pexels Free Photos.
My Phoenix Rising 