If you look closely, you might notice some little bright pink button pins popping up on shirts, jackets, strollers, and diaper bags around Langley these days.

The Langley Moms Facebook group have started wearing these pins that I designed, as a way of spotting each other while we are out and about in our neighbourhoods.

What started as a small tight knit group of less than 100 women over 5 years ago, has grown into a force almost 2000 women strong, with more joining every day.

My best friend Tara Kurtz (www.cruiseshipcenters.com/TaraKurtz) is our fearless leader, and I’m second-in-command, helping out where I can. I joined five years ago while on maternity leave with my son, hoping to find some Moms to swap war stories with.

Langley Moms is a place to safely crowd source: ask questions, socialize, plan meet ups, rant, complain, and support each other

It can be hard to reach out, and parenthood can be very isolating. I still remember that feeling of pushing my stroller into McBurney’s coffee shop for my very first meet up, and wanting to completely chicken out and walk back out the door! Putting yourself out there is hard, but it can have major rewards: little did I know that very day I would meet my future BFF and my son’s best buddy.

The idea of the pins came from the fact that we all know each other online, but its hard to put names to faces in real life

. So in lieu of a secret handshake, these buttons, made by hand by a Canadian Etsy seller (www.etsy.com/shop/CBxBT), this is just a little way to spot each other out and about.

So if you are a Mom, live in Langley, and want to connect, feel free to request to join our group (www.facebook.com/groups/37291206020)! And if you see one of those little pink pins around town, feel free to share a high five.

Lana McCarney