Welcome to The After School Scoop

The After School Scoop

Real Talk After the Bell

Post 1: Welcome — Meet the Voices Behind the Scoop

Every parent knows the moment. The bell rings. The doors open. Kids spill out. And you hold your breath wondering…

What actually happened today?

Not the “fine.” Not the quick summary. Not the edited-for-speed version. But the real story — the one they only share once they’re buckled in, safe, home-adjacent, and finally able to breathe.

This is where our blog begins. In the car. In the kitchen. In the doorway. In the “in-between” moments after school when the truth finally rises to the surface.

Welcome to The After School Scoop. Real Talk After the Bell.

Why We Created This Blog

Between our family conversations, the emotions that flow after school, and my lens as a pediatric OT, we started to notice a pattern:

Kids save their truest stories for the people they feel safest with. And those stories matter.

They influence:

• how they see themselves

• how they understand others

• how they make sense of social moments

• how they learn to repair, reflect, grow, and connect

This blog is a place to unpack those moments — not as gossip, not as judgment, and not as a parenting manual — but as real reflections on childhood, regulation, relationships, and the human experience inside school systems.

It’s a place where connection comes before correction… and where we decode the story behind the story.

Meet the Team Behind the Scoop

This blog is a family project — each of us bringing our own lens, feelings, humor, and truth.

Marie – Mom & The Connection Curator

By day, I’m an occupational therapist, founder of Rise Therapy & Wellness, Rise Sports, and Rise Renovations.

By afternoon, I become:

• the safe landing place

• the story decoder

• the after school listener

• the mom who believes the nervous system tells the truth before the words do

  
  

My family and I created this blog because the conversations with my boys after school shifted something in me — and I realized they might shift something for other families too.

Ezra – Dad & The Cultural Compass

Ezra brings depth — full stop.

Rooted in culture, sociology, lived experience, and faith, he sees the world through a lens that honors identity, context, and humanity.

He’s the one who asks:

• What did this moment mean?

• What was the deeper “why”?

• How did power, emotion, or misunderstanding play a role?

Where I decode the nervous system, Ezra decodes the systems around it. Together we help our boys make sense of their experiences from multiple angles.

Kingston – The Big Thinker

The oldest. The analyzer. The one who gives deep thought into what he saying and how it wants to communicate it.

He reminds us that:

• kids process at all speeds

• behavior is communication

• the quiet moments hold the biggest truths

  
  

He is thoughtful, perceptive, and often wiser than he knows.

Carter – The Heart-Forward Kid

The little brother with the big emotions and even bigger empathy.

He leads with:

• honesty

• humor

• tenderness

• instinctive emotional awareness

Carter helps us all see that kids don’t need perfect days — they need safe places to land after the hard ones.

What You Can Expect Here

Each week, we’ll share:

• a real after-school moment

• a reflection from one (or all) of us

• a deeper look at what the moment meant

• and what it teaches us about childhood, connection, regulation, and humanity

Nothing staged. Nothing forced. Nothing performative.

Just real talk after the bell — the stories kids carry home, the feelings behind them, and the bigger meaning woven through every moment.

Why This Matters

Because school moments don’t live in isolation. They ripple through:

• our kids

• their peers

• their teachers

• their families

• their classrooms

• their nervous systems

Understanding those ripples helps us raise kids with empathy, perspective, emotional awareness, and resilience.

Welcome to The After School Scoop

We’re so glad you’re here. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, caregiver, or someone who cares about the emotional world of children — we hope our reflections give you insight, comfort, or simply a moment to breathe.

The real stories start now. Real Talk After the Bell.

— Marie, Ezra, Kingston & Carter The After School Scoop

- The Bells

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