ADVANCING HEALTH-CARE PRACTICE

3.3     Susan's Story

I have my son back in my care now, which is wonderful. But there's just not enough support out there. I don't think people are educated enough to know what this is all about. Even my doctor. I was talking to him a little while back because I was really upset about having to make arrangements for my son to see his father. I don't even want him coming to my home because I know that if he steps his foot in here, he'll keep pushing to the point that I'll end up having him here and I'll have to get rid of him. And it's going to be back to the same old horrible thing again. But the system actually makes you have contact. All along they've been giving him supervised visits, and they've been providing someone to pickup my son and take him to him. But, when I get him back into my care full time, that's all up to me. So, I'm just back to square one again. A set up for failure as far as I see it. And then they say 'You have to go do this PAS program'. It's this 'Parenting After Separation' program, where I have to get along with my ex. And what is this? I have to get along with him, for my son's sake? Well, if I was getting along with him, we'd be together. So, it's very confusing.

I went to my doctor, and he got really upset with me and literally almost screaming at me, telling me that I don't ever have to talk to my ex again and I shouldn't even look at him basically, or see him. He says, 'Why is your son even seeing him? He's witnessed abuse, why is he even seeing him?'. And I'm going, 'Well, social services is saying that he's still his father and he has every right to see him'. People just think 'Why are you so stupid? Why do you keep going back? You don't ever talk to the man'. Well, unfortunately, I do have to talk to him because of my son.