Moms, I know you may still be reeling from the holidays and if school is still out where you live, take it easy! But many of you are already thinking about how this year could look different from last year, and one thing I want to encourage all of my moms to do is to start doing this mom life with other moms who live around you. We all know motherhood is not for the faint of heart, but it's hard to find the encouragement we need and the wisdom we're desperately looking for in the middle of our busy lives. That’s why I started Birds on a Wire – to encourage and equip moms - and as we have grown, it’s why we have decided to focus on growing the number of moms in BOAW groups.

A Birds on a Wire group is just a group of moms intentionally pursuing wisdom related to motherhood and encouraging others by sharing the own ups and downs of mothering. When you’re in a circle with other moms, you can lean on one another, pray for one another and carve out intentional time in your week to focus on your hardest job, mothering.

You don't need permission from your church, a PhD in parenting or a fancy house with a formal living room. We have BOAW groups that meet around kitchen tables, ones that gather over lunch at the office and groups that huddle up in church classrooms. Because we always have questions about what it looks like to start a group, we dedicated an entire episode of our podcast, Wire Talk, this week to answering your group questions and talking about how to get (and keep) yours going. I’d love for you to listen to Episode 92 and in the meantime, here are 7 reasons we think you should gather your mom friends and start a BOAW group in your community this year!

1. Parenting is hard – other moms get it!

2. Because Pinterest and Instagram are nice to look at, but they don’t pray for you or share dessert with you.

3. Admit it - you haven’t talked to another adult in DAYS.

4. Inviting a friend to your moms’ groups is even easier than inviting them to church.

5. Because you need an excuse to put on pants and leave the house.

6. Because listening to Karen talk about her struggles will make you feel better about your own.

7. Being in a group will make you a better friend, make you a better listener, and make you a better mama.

So come on, moms! What have you got to lose? Gather a few girlfriends, pick a curriculum and start sharing the ups and downs of this amazing journey of motherhood with other moms surrounding you.