Dear Moms: You're Awesome (And We Need Your Help)

Moms, we want to talk to you.

And we want you to talk to us. Often. We know you have wisdom to share—not just with your children, but with other moms facing the same challenges, dilemmas, joys and opportunities you've faced over time.

And we know that although it seems like you can do everything (it really, really seems that way—we never stop being amazed by it), it wouldn't hurt to have some fellow moms to share expertise and advice.

Here's the deal: Starting very soon, we're going to be producing a lot of material we hope you'll find useful—tips and stories on everything from finding the best pediatrician to the best spot for a little overdue peace and quiet.

But Mooooooooooommmmm (does that sound familiar?): We need your help. We're asking you to sign on for the Patch Moms Council, to share your expertise and perspective with your neighbors (including us). We want moms.

We want Mr. Moms. We want grandmoms, stepmoms, single moms, married moms, new moms, adoptive moms, de facto moms, would-be moms, expecting moms, soccer moms and working moms (like there's such a thing as a non-working mom). If your child moved out 20 years ago, well, you never stop being a mom. Heck, if the cast of Mamma Mia wants to join, we'll seriously consider it.

What's involved? It can be as much or as little as you like.

We'll put you on an e-mail list for just for Moms Council members, where you (and we) can trade advice and ideas about being a mom in our community. We'll alert you to features on the site where you can chime in with tips or answer questions to help your fellow moms out. We might eventually organize some meetings for the benefit of moms and families overall, and we'll invite you to be a part of that.

So moms, please e-mail sam.strike@patch.com and let me know we can count you in (come on, you have to—we said the magic word).

And because you probably don't hear it enough: Thanks, Mom.