A DC9 FLC REALIZED THEY MAY HAVE CAUSED A C182 TO FLY INTO THEIR WAKE ON CLB NEAR MKC.

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DURING CLBOUT FROM MCI TO S; WE WERE GIVEN A 7000 FT ALT RESTR AND A HDG OF 220 DEGS TO JOIN THE RACER 3 DEP. ATC POINTED OUT TFC AT 7500 FT AHEAD OF US WHICH WE BEGAN LOOKING FOR. ATC THEN ASKED AGAIN ABOUT THAT AND OTHER TFC BEYOND AND ABOVE. AT THAT POINT; THE CLOSER TFC; A C182; WAS CLRLY INSIGHT. NORMALLY; I DON'T CALL TFC SO ATC CAN SEPARATE AND CHANCES OF MISIDENT ARE REDUCED. GAVE IN THIS TIME SINCE THE CTLR WAS SO INSISTENT AND TFC WAS OBVIOUS. AS PART OF CONVERSATION WITH ATC; MY FO ALSO CALLED HIGHER TFC IN SIGHT. WOULD HAVE RATHER HE DIDN'T; BUT IT WAS MOVING AWAY SO NOT AN ISSUE. ATC THEN CLRED US TO 13000 FT BASED ON VISUAL SEPARATION. DECIDED TO STAY AT 7000 FT UNTIL BY THE CESSNA. CLRLY IN SIGHT AS IT PASSED OFF TO L AND ABOVE. TCASII WAS GIVING 'MONITOR VERT SPD' RA. SPENT TIME OUTSIDE COCKPIT WATCHING THE TFC AS IT WENT BY. WHILE PASSING; SAW THAT ALT HAD DRIFTED UP TO 7200 FT INADVERTENTLY. ONCE CLR OF TFC; BEGAN GRADUAL CLB TO 13000 FT. ABOUT 3 MI LATER; 190 DEG RADIAL OF RACER 3 BEGAN TO COME IN; SO BEGAN L TURN TO JOIN. ONLY LATER DID I CONSIDER WHAT I HAD DONE. WHILE I WAS NO LONGER WORRIED ABOUT THE C182'S PROX; I SHOULD HAVE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT THE WAKE TURB. BY MAKING THE L TURN; I LEFT THAT CESSNA NOWHERE TO GO TO AVOID IT. EVEN THOUGH WHAT OCCURRED MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ILLEGAL; IT CERTAINLY WAS POOR JUDGEMENT AND INCONSIDERATE ON MY PART. IN MY EXPERIENCE; NOTHING HAS COME UP JUST LIKE THIS. I'M SURE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. PLEASE PASS THIS ON SO OTHERS MAY LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE.