Linda Reutzel: NPO’s Champion for Children

National Parents Organization has awarded its first “Champion for Children” award to Linda Reutzel, the Missouri Chair of NPO and a long-time member of NPO’s National Board.

Linda is a mother and grandmother from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, who became aware of the harmful effects of Missouri’s custody laws and family court practices when her son, Griffan, divorced and was sidelined in his daughter Averie’s life, being awarded only a Missouri’s “Schedule J” parenting time. While Schedule J, which is the old “every other weekend and one evening a week” schedule, is claimed to be a “minimum, regular schedule of visitation and custody”, it often treated as a default even when both parents are fit and loving parents.

This was a tragedy, first and foremost, for Averie and her father, Griffan, but also for Linda, who had cared for Averie when her parents were working, and for Linda’s husband, Gene.

It is, unfortunately,  a tragedy that is repeated tens of thousands of times each year across America. Those  who experience the pain of such a situation see the flaws in our current custody laws and court practices. But most of these people, even if they fight for the best outcome in their situation, don’t do anything to change the system.

Linda approaches these things differently. Seeing how family courts in Missouri were hurting families, especially children, she made it her mission to improve the situation. She probably didn’t anticipate that this would be a nine-year, often frustrating quest. But through those nine years, Linda continued to educate Missouri legislators about the benefits of shared parenting and the need for legislative reform.

This past June, Linda’s tenacity was rewarded when Governor Parson signed Senate Bill 35, which established “a rebuttable presumption that an award of equal or approximately equal parenting time to each parent is in the best interest of the child,” making Missouri the fifth state with such an explicit equal parenting presumption.

Make no mistake about it. Linda made this happen. As Dr. Jim Neely, Missouri State Representative from 2013-2020 said:

I give great accolades to Linda Reutzel for her dogged determination to do what is right for children of Missouri.  National Parents Organization supplied all the research so that legislators knew this simple change in custody was the right thing to do.

Former state senator (2013-2021) and representative (2011-2012) Wayne Wallingford put it this way:

The National Parents Organization is fortunate to have Linda Reutzel as their Missouri State Chair.  I worked with Linda while I served in the Missouri Senate trying to get a shared parenting bill passed.  Linda knew it was in the best interest of the child and that they deserve both parents.  She worked tirelessly to change Missouri law and never gave up on protecting children.  Linda is the strongest shared parenting advocate I have ever met!

We agree with Wayne Wallingford: National Parents Organization is fortunate to have Linda Reutzel as the Missouri State Chair. More importantly, the children of Missouri are fortunate that she is in this role. Linda is truly a Champion for Children!