Eight minutes separated two emails from my son’s mother. One demanded silence. The other revealed she’d been keeping him from me in ways I didn’t even know to ask about.
By Michael Phillips | Father & Co.
On the morning of April 28, 2026, I received two emails from my son’s mother, Christina Avgerinos.
The first arrived at 7:43 AM. Christina informed me that Dylan had his 7-year well visit with Dr. Mechak the previous day, that he was doing well, and — almost as an aside — that he had started with a child therapist last June and has been seen monthly since.
The second arrived at 7:51 AM. Christina demanded that I remove our son’s name from my articles, refrain from using it in future writing, and confirm compliance.
Eight minutes apart.
What I Didn’t Know
I have been denied court-ordered parenting time by Christina since January 21, 2024. I have been able to see Dylan once — at a school event — in that entire period. I wrote about this two days ago for Parental Alienation Awareness Day.
What I did not write about, because I did not know it, is that my son has been in therapy for somewhere between six and nine months. It’s odd that neither Christina nor the doctor knew specifically how long.
I did not know the therapist’s name. I was not informed when therapy began. I was not consulted. I was not given contact information. I have not been involved in any aspect of his mental health care.
Our court order requires that I be provided with information regarding Dylan’s healthcare providers and treatment. That did not happen here.
The disclosure didn’t come through proper channels or in a timely manner. It came as a footnote in an email sent the morning after his appointment — the same morning I was told to stop writing about Dylan.
What the Doctor Said
The day before, I had sent Dr. Mechak a letter documenting my concerns — that I’d been denied court-ordered access by Christina, that I was uncomfortable attending in person due to prior conflict in his office, and that I did not want my absence interpreted as indifference. I asked that my concerns be noted in Dylan’s medical record.
Dr. Mechak responded the evening of April 27. He confirmed Dylan is doing well medically — growth on track, scholastic development appropriate, mental health described as being in a good place. He noted Dylan has been active in therapy for the past six to nine months with monthly sessions.
He then directed me to reach out to my attorney or family mediator regarding court-ordered parenting access. I am self-represented, and Christina has refused to participate in any form of mediation.
I don’t fault Dr. Mechak for that redirection. He’s a pediatrician, not a family court officer. But his response is now part of the record — an independent third-party confirmation that therapy has been ongoing, that I was not part of it, and that the only way I learned about it was by writing a letter to my son’s doctor the day before his annual appointment.
Dr. Mechak’s response also confirmed something broader: I was outside the information loop entirely. Medical providers generally communicate with whoever brings the child to appointments. That’s not necessarily misconduct — it’s how a parent gets quietly removed from a child’s life without anyone making a single dramatic decision. A chain of routine omissions, and you’re gone.
To Be Clear About the Baseline
I have not had court-ordered parenting time with Dylan since January 21, 2024. The last time I sought enforcement, the court did not act. The Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Maryland, denied all of my motions for enforcement and contempt. The access I have been offered — visits to a public library supervised by Christina, or attendance at youth sports events, typically early morning and an hour away — does not constitute the parenting time a court has already ordered. I have not felt safe being alone with or near his mother without other people present, given our history. That is where things stand.
The Demand That Arrived Eight Minutes Later
The message about therapy came at 7:43. The message demanding I remove Dylan’s name from my writing came at 7:51.
The second email framed my writing as a privacy and safety concern. It asked me to confirm compliance.
I want to be precise about what I am being asked to stay silent about: my own experience as a parent being denied access to his child by the offending parent. That is not something I will stop documenting. My writing is grounded in my own perspective and experience. It is the same standard I apply to every story I cover on this publication — and I apply it to my own situation without exception.
What I find notable is not the demand itself. Parents in high-conflict custody situations make demands of each other constantly. What’s notable is what arrived eight minutes before it — a disclosure that, buried in an update about a routine well visit, revealed a months-long gap in my involvement in my son’s care that I had no way to know existed until that moment.
The Pattern This Fits
Parental alienation does not always announce itself loudly. I wrote about this on April 25. It accumulates in the gaps — in information withheld, in providers you’re never told about, in decisions made without you, in a child’s life that moves forward while you are structurally excluded from it.
A child starting therapy is significant. It means something is being addressed, worked through, processed. I do not know what. I do not know what my son has been told about why his father isn’t around. I do not know whether my absence — engineered through access denial — is part of what’s being discussed in those monthly sessions.
Those are not rhetorical questions. They are things I am entitled to know as his parent, and things I intend to pursue through every available channel.
What Comes Next
I have followed up with Dr. Mechak, requesting the therapist’s name and contact information, consistent with my rights under our court order. I have made the same request through Our Family Wizard to Christina Avgerinos.
I will continue to document this process publicly — not to create conflict, but because documentation is the only reliable counter to a narrative controlled by one person.
Dylan turned 7 last month. He has been in therapy for most of that year. His father found out the morning someone told his father to stop writing.
That is the record. I’m not going anywhere.
Keep Father & Co. Free
Father & Co. exists to support parents navigating separation, custody, and systems that are often confusing, isolating, or overwhelming. This work is grounded in lived experience, careful research, and respect for the real stakes families face.
If this article helped you feel less alone, better informed, or more grounded, reader support helps keep these resources free and available to others who need them.
Need help reviewing or organizing court or formal documents?
Father & Co. offers non-legal document review and organization for people representing themselves. This includes clarity, structure, neutral tone, and timeline organization — not legal advice or representation.
Have a story, experience, or resource to share?
Submissions are reviewed with care and discretion. We respect privacy and handle sensitive information responsibly.
Discover more from Fatherand.Co
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
