I think the bottom line with many of these supervision places is they cater to the parent who is paying the most money or who is kissing their butts. It has very little to do with mom's, dad's, or children's rights. It has nothing to do with the fact that a court of law saw sufficient reason to order supervised visits for the parent who - get this - must actually be supervised. \r
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When my ex and I tried Renaissance in 2009, the two owners were creating daily drama.\r
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1) They wanted me (the custodial parent) to let my ex-abuser use my only vehicle. They accused me of being difficult when I refused, and threatened to cancel the 4-day visit. 2) They wanted me to let my ex-abuser use my car seats (which is his responsibility), to which I agreed. 3) They changed the visitation schedule just an hour before two of the days, even though they knew I was traveling 1.5 hours each way. 4) When one of my children pulled a supervisor aside and told her he was afraid and what his dad did to him, she consoled him well and told one of the owners. The owners yelled at me that I was having my children lie for me. 5) When my children came home from the first day's visit, an older child complained that my 3 year old got thrown by their dad off a motel bed and against a wall while they were all wrestling. I asked in writing that Renaissance not allow rough play, since this father used to abuse our children (and referred to the court order) and it is why he must be supervised. I also stated that a motel room is too small for two supervisors, one parent, and 4 children. The lady owner who read my letter yelled at me and said she was not going to limit the type of contact my children have with their former abuser. One of the supervisors disagreed with the owner and quit her job right then. 6) My ex and I signed the same contracts, which state the cost must be paid in full prior to the first day of the visit. Yet, when he paid only half and told Renaissance to get the other half from me, they allowed the visits to occur for two of the scheduled 4 days. Each morning and afternoon, the two owners screamed at me and called me names in front of my children to pay them. I referred each day to their copy of my court order and to what I clearly stated to them when signing the contract (that the court order allows me to pay my half to my ex by reduced child support payments). They didn't care. They wanted their money, and threatened to file a complaint against me to the child welfare services if I did not pay. On the morning of the third day, one of the owners did not let my children go into the office building to see their dad until I paid them. The owner who was present put me on the phone with the other owner, who accused me of being a terrible mom and of coaching my kids against their father. She again threatened to call DCFS against me. I felt so beat up and worn out, that I was crying. I let my head fall against my vehicle and I leaned on it. After an hour of this berating, the lady owner who was present told me to take my children and leave, and that the rest of the visits were cancelled. Halfway home, the lady on the phone called me again, accused me of deserting the appointment and ordered me to return the kids, so that my ex can have the remainder of his time. My ex ""saved the day"" by paying the rest of the cost, as per the court order. Renaissance followed through with their threats and filed a report to child welfare services against me. They reported that I coached my kids, tried to get the visit cancelled, and that they suspect I ave a mental disorder due to how they witnessed me ""banging"" my head against my van. 7) Do I need to mention that one of the owners smelled like alcohol? \r
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I don't care if you have to go into debt to stay away from this place. It will be worth it.
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