My Story And Why I Became A Child Advocate: A Mother’s Fight Against a Broken System

Three years ago, I walked into family court believing that truth would matter, that overwhelming evidence and witnesses would protect my children, and that the law existed to shield the innocent from harm. I was wrong.

Since that day, I have been subjected to an endless loop of litigation abuse—a weaponized legal system used not to protect children, but to punish the parent who dares to speak out against injustice.

I am now on my fifth appointed judge. Each new face brings the illusion of fairness, yet the cycle repeats: temporary orders issued without evidence, court dates delayed, ex parte motions granted in the absence of due process, and my childrens psychological state being harmed with each passing day from growing up in a coercively controlling environment that isolated them from access to their mother.

The man I’ve had to fight in court is not a misunderstood father. He is a man who pled guilty to domestic violence, who left bruises on our son’s body, who has been diagnosed with five separate mental health disorders, and who has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction since high school. A man whose history of instability and aggression is well-documented, who’s been in and out of multiple rehab centers.

And yet—he has been rewarded by this system.

Despite presenting overwhelming evidence, medical records, expert declarations, countless witness letters and even his own criminal plea, I’ve watched as I was treated not as a protective parent—but as a litigant to be managed, dismissed, or punished for caring too much. I was treated worse than a criminal.

In the past three years:

• I have spent over $1 million on legal fees, therapy, expert witnesses, evaluations, living expenses and court-ordered services.

• I have been repeatedly silenced when trying to speak about my children’s safety.

• I have endured false allegations, misrepresentations, and character attacks designed to keep me buried in defense instead of standing in truth.

• And worst of all, I have watched my sons suffer. Emotionally, physically, spiritually. I see their light dim. I hear the confusion in their voices. I feel the trauma etched into their bodies and behaviors.

This is not custody.
This is not justice.
This is court-sanctioned abuse.

I am not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of us—parents whose only crime is trying to protect our children, only to be gaslit, exhausted, and financially ruined by a system that empowers abusers to weaponize procedure against the very people trying to break the cycle of harm.

My sons and I have suffered irreparable harm. My sons are the ones paying the price for a legal system that values procedure over protection and narrative over truth.

I am sharing this story not for sympathy, but for reform.

False allegations should carry consequences.
Litigation abuse must be named, tracked, and stopped.
Safe, loving parents should never be erased from their children’s lives.
And children should never be collateral damage in a game of power and control.

It is time for Ohio to face this crisis. I urge every lawmaker, judge, and professional involved in family court to hear these stories—not as outliers, but as a reflection of a system that must change. And I urge you who’s reading this to share this post.

Because no parent should have to bankrupt themselves just to keep their children safe.
And no child should have to lose access to a loving parent because of someone else’s lies.

A Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight

In Ohio alone, it is estimated that tens of thousands of parents each year are falsely accused or subjected to manipulative legal tactics during custody disputes—not because they are dangerous, but because they are targeted by a co-parent attempting to gain leverage, control, or total custody.

While official data underreports these cases due to court sealing, lack of tracking, and dismissal before investigation, anecdotal and practitioner evidence suggests that nearly 1 in 3 high-conflict custody battles involve at least one knowingly false allegation, often of abuse, neglect, or endangerment.

False accusations are not merely “dirty tactics.” They are psychological warfare—a direct attack on a child’s ability to maintain healthy, loving bonds with both parents. They are used to:

• Gain emergency custody via ex parte motions,

• Block visitation without due process,

• Drain the accused parent financially through repeated court motions,

• And paint a false narrative in the minds of judges, GALs, and therapists.

What Happens Without Reform?

• Children are weaponized. They are taught to fear, hate, or reject a safe parent under the illusion of “protection.”

• Good parents are erased. Visitation is cut off or permanently supervised based on false or unproven claims.

• Courts become complicit. Without oversight or timely evidentiary hearings, family courts are routinely manipulated through legal theater.

• True victims suffer. False reports overwhelm systems meant to protect children from actual abuse, weakening public trust in legitimate allegations.

Ohio’s Silent Epidemic of Legal Abuse

• Family court observers estimate over 70% of all restraining order requests in contested custody cases involve no police reports or medical documentation.

• More than 10,000 children in Ohio each year are believed to lose contact with a fit, safe parent due to court orders influenced by false narratives.

• The overwhelming majority of these children suffer long-term effects: anxiety, identity confusion, trust issues, and internalized guilt.

Let’s stop rewarding those who lie to win custody. Let’s protect safe parents.
Let’s protect our children from psychological abuse disguised as legal procedure.