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The boys and I took a little field trip to check out five newborn lion cubs at our local zoo.

Lion Cubs

Oh boy, we they ever cute! They were sleeping the whole time, two snuggled together in a corner, and three more piled on top of each other snoozing away.

At less than a few weeks postpartum, the mama lion was also resting in the same enclosure as her cubs alongside a fellow female lion. We stepped over to the zookeeper to ask which one was the mother, and at that moment I overheard an interesting conversation.

The zookeeper informed those of us listening that the two female lions were sisters. In the world of lions, the female of the species are very social and do most things together. In the wild, they are able to time the births of their cubs within their pride so they can take care of and even nurse one another’s little ones.

These female lions are the perfect picture of what a community of mothers – yes, us human mothers – can look like. Well, except for the whole “nursing each other’s children” part…

Community of Lions

Find your “pride.”

This might be family members if you live near one another, but for many of us, our family is far away so we need to find our own local “pride” of mama friends. For me, it’s my Bible study girls. It might be a MOPS group or a few other moms in your neighborhood. There are advantages to a “pride” of mixed ages, where older mamas can help mentor younger ones, but having children of similar ages can bring about great camaraderie as well!

Don’t leave a new mama all alone.

I don’t care how many babies a woman has had, she always deserves some post-partum help. For the mama lion, she had her sister helping care for the cubs. A meal, a nap, an adult conversation – anything you can provide for that new mama in your life will be a breath of fresh air for her! And don’t forget about her a few months down the road when she is worn down from many sleepless nights and most people have stopped providing help. The mother of a three-month old will appreciate a meal just as much as the mother or a newborn! If you ARE a new mama, let others come alongside you!

Do life together.

Female lions raise children together, hunt together, do life together. Doing everyday things with other mamas makes me feel like my life is normal. I feel united with them when we play date or field trip or cook or eat together. Feeling normal and united is a good thing for every mama. Even just talking about the ups and downs of your day with another mom will be uplifting when you are able to laugh together and spur one another on!

It’s amazing what you can learn about the importance of community for moms from a day at the zoo!

What does community look like for you as a mom? Who is in your pride?