My Child Advocate, P.A.

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My Child Advocate, P.A. My Child Advocate provides affordable, child-centered legal and case management services to children and families.

My Child Advocate is a child and family law center dedicated to helping stabilize families, providing children a voice and advocating for their best interests. We hold the best interest of children paramount and think of your child as our own. My Child Advocate is a professional association created to provide affordable, child-centered legal and case management services to children and families. In family custody disputes, parents, caregivers, and even the courts, often lose sight of the best interests of the child. My Child Advocate, through legal representation, guardian ad litem and case management appointments, helps return the focus to the child.

The quality of a mediation is often determined by the quality of its questions.Not its answers.Conflict has a way of tra...
07/23/2026

The quality of a mediation is often determined by the quality of its questions.

Not its answers.

Conflict has a way of trapping people in predictable questions.

Who's right?

Who's wrong?

Who should give in?

Great mediators ask different questions.

What matters most to you?

What are you hoping to protect?

What would a successful outcome look like six months from now?

Those questions slow the conversation.

They shift people away from defending positions and toward exploring possibilities.

Sometimes a single well-timed question changes the entire direction of a mediation.

Not because it provides the answer.

Because it helps people discover one they couldn't see before.

The best mediators know that asking a better question is often more powerful than offering a better solution.

That's the power of the process.

"What exactly does a Guardian ad Litem do?"It's a fair question.For many parents, a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) enters their...
07/22/2026

"What exactly does a Guardian ad Litem do?"

It's a fair question.

For many parents, a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) enters their case without much explanation of the role, the process, or what to expect next.

In Kansas, a Guardian ad Litem is an attorney appointed to represent the child's best interests. Under Kansas Supreme Court Rule 110A, a Guardian ad Litem is expected to conduct an independent investigation, determine the child's best interests, and submit both the results of that investigation and recommendations to the court.

Here's where parents sometimes become confused.

Rule 110A also recognizes that a Guardian ad Litem is an attorney and must practice within the Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct.

Because of that, there isn't one universal approach to how recommendations are communicated.

Some Guardians ad Litem file motions.
Some submit proposed parenting plans.
Some provide written recommendations.
Others present their recommendations during hearings.

Different judges, different courts, and different attorneys may have different practices.

That doesn't necessarily mean anyone is doing it "wrong."

But it does mean parents often don't know what to expect.

When people don't understand the process, uncertainty can quickly become anxiety.

One of the best questions a parent can ask their attorney is:

"Can you help me understand what I should expect from the Guardian ad Litem in my case?"

That conversation won't change the legal process.

But it can replace uncertainty with clarity.

And when families understand the process, they're often better able to participate thoughtfully in it.

Education is empowering.

Clarity matters.

A parenting plan is one of the most important documents a family creates after separation.But it's only the beginning.A ...
07/21/2026

A parenting plan is one of the most important documents a family creates after separation.

But it's only the beginning.

A parenting plan can outline schedules.
Decision-making.
Holidays.
Communication.

It can't anticipate every school event...

Every schedule change...

Every disagreement that real life will bring.

The challenge isn't always creating the plan.

Sometimes it's living it.

That's where parenting coordination can make a difference.

A parenting coordinator helps parents navigate the everyday decisions that parenting plans were never designed to predict.

Because the goal isn't simply having a good parenting plan.

It's helping families successfully implement one.

A plan on paper changes very little.

A plan put into practice can change everything.

One of the biggest sources of frustration between attorneys and clients has nothing to do with the law.It's communicatio...
07/20/2026

One of the biggest sources of frustration between attorneys and clients has nothing to do with the law.

It's communication.

Over the years, I've noticed something interesting.

Many clients think:
"If I haven't heard anything, nothing must be happening."

Many attorneys think:

"If nothing needs immediate attention, no news is good news."

Neither perspective is wrong.

They're simply operating with different expectations.

One client may feel reassured by a monthly update, even if the update is simply, "Nothing significant has changed."

Another client may only want to hear from their attorney when there's a decision to make.

Neither approach is better.

The key is talking about it early.

At the beginning of representation, consider asking questions like:

• How often should we expect to communicate?
• If nothing is happening, will I still receive updates?
• What's the best way to reach you with questions?
• How quickly should I expect a response to emails or phone calls?
• When should we schedule strategy meetings?

I've found that these conversations do more than set expectations.

They build trust.

When clients understand what to expect, they spend less time wondering.

When attorneys understand what their clients need, they can communicate with greater intention.

Good communication doesn't eliminate the stress of litigation.

But it often eliminates unnecessary anxiety.

Sometimes the most valuable conversation isn't about your case.

It's about how you'll communicate while moving through it together.

One of the biggest breakthroughs in mediation doesn't happen when someone changes their position.It happens when they un...
07/16/2026

One of the biggest breakthroughs in mediation doesn't happen when someone changes their position.

It happens when they understand the other person's.

Agreement doesn't begin with compromise.

It begins with understanding.

That doesn't mean you have to agree.

It doesn't mean you have to like the other person's perspective.

It simply means you understand why they see the situation differently.

That's why great mediators spend so much time asking questions.

Not because they're looking for better arguments...
..but because they're helping people discover the interests, concerns, and priorities beneath the positions they arrived with.

People rarely leave mediation seeing the facts differently.

They often leave seeing each other differently.

And that's where better decisions begin.

One of the biggest misconceptions about parenting coordination is that it's about changing parenting plans.It isn't.It's...
07/14/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about parenting coordination is that it's about changing parenting plans.

It isn't.

It's about helping parents live them.

A parenting plan answers many important questions.

Where the children will be.

How holidays will be shared.

How decisions will be made.

But life doesn't stop once the order is signed.

Children grow.

Schedules change.

New situations arise.

And sometimes, parents struggle to navigate those everyday moments together.

Parenting coordination helps families bridge the gap between what was ordered and what real life requires.

It's less about rewriting the plan...
..and more about helping parents implement it.

Because a parenting plan only works when it's lived—not just written.

This is the work. 🤍Today was another very special Gotcha Day.People often assume family law is about conflict.Sometimes ...
07/09/2026

This is the work. 🤍

Today was another very special Gotcha Day.

People often assume family law is about conflict.

Sometimes it is.

But sometimes, it's about extraordinary acts of love.

Today, a biological father made the incredibly difficult decision to consent to a stepparent adoption because he believed it was in his daughter's best interest.

That decision wasn't about winning.
It wasn't about losing.

It was about putting a child at the center of a life-changing decision.

These moments are rarely simple. They require honesty, courage, humility, and an unwavering commitment to a child's well-being.

Today, a little girl gained the security of having the family who has been loving and raising her recognized in the eyes of the law.

I am grateful to have witnessed this family's journey and to have played a small part in helping them reach this moment.

This is why I do this work. ❤️

One of the biggest misconceptions about mediation is that mediators solve problems.They don't.People solve problems.A me...
07/09/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about mediation is that mediators solve problems.

They don't.

People solve problems.

A mediator creates the conditions where that becomes possible.

They slow the conversation.

They ask better questions.

They help people move beyond positions to understand the interests, concerns, and priorities driving those positions.

They create space for understanding before agreement.

That's why mediation isn't about having all the answers.

It's about guiding a process that allows participants to discover their own.

The strongest agreements rarely come from being told what to do.

They come from people seeing the problem differently than they did before they walked into the room.

That's the power of the process.

Last week, I wrote that a court order can end a case—but it doesn't always end the conflict.So who needs a Parenting Coo...
07/07/2026

Last week, I wrote that a court order can end a case—but it doesn't always end the conflict.

So who needs a Parenting Coordinator?

Not every separated or divorced family.

Most parents don't.

Parenting coordination is designed for families who remain stuck in conflict after parenting orders are already in place.

The parenting plan exists.....but every schedule change becomes an argument.

Every extracurricular activity requires a debate.
Every medical decision turns into a disagreement.
Every exchange creates tension.

When parents are unable to consistently implement their parenting plan or resolve everyday parenting issues on their own, a Parenting Coordinator can help them move from ongoing conflict toward consistent implementation.

Depending on the court's order, that may include facilitating agreements, educating parents, coordinating communication, and, when authorized, making limited decisions within the scope of the appointment.

The goal isn't to create perfect co-parents.

The goal is to help children experience less conflict while their parents continue raising them.

🇺🇸 This Fourth of July, I'm thinking about freedom in a different way.As we celebrate independence, I'm reminded that fo...
07/04/2026

🇺🇸 This Fourth of July, I'm thinking about freedom in a different way.

As we celebrate independence, I'm reminded that for many children, "freedom" looks much simpler.

It's the freedom to love both parents without feeling caught in the middle.

The freedom to celebrate holidays without carrying the weight of adult conflict.

The freedom to be a child.

Family transitions don't pause for holidays. In fact, holidays can amplify emotions, expectations, and old hurts. But they also offer an opportunity; a chance to choose the next interaction with intention.

Whether you're a parent, grandparent, attorney, mediator, therapist, or judge, every decision we make has the potential to create greater stability, safety, and connection for the children who depend on us.

This Independence Day, may we remember that one of the greatest gifts we can give children is the freedom to simply be children.

Wishing you and your family a safe, meaningful, and peaceful Fourth of July.

Address

313 North Chestnut
Olathe, KS
66061

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+19138298838

Website

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