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You just caught your kid doing the most amazing thing on his way to school, he actually walked over to a sad looking kid and offered to carry his book bag! Who are you going to tell? Or, your little girl is still throwing temper tantrums and she's 9! Who are you going to tell? Then, your little boy tells his big sister that she doesn't need to worry about having babies when she gets older because the vet can fix her just like he did Scruffy. Who are you going to tell?

Your friends? Well, you could, but truth be told, your friends will allow you only so much time and space to brag about (or vent about) your children. How about telling your relatives? Yes, that's a possibility. However, you know that any time you open the conversation up about what your kids are doing, you're inviting advice.well maybe not inviting it, but that's what you get from relatives regardless.

As an alternative, more and more parents are turning to online mommy communities to share their stories, ask parenting questions and swap tips. The big sites like CafeMom and CircleofMoms (a Facebook app) get millions of mom visitors every month. (Interestingly, these two sites are run by men.) A recent Pew Internet Survey found that adult users have quadrupled in the last four years. It also found that parents are more inclined to post and share online than adults without children.

Why? It seems that moms enjoy the gratification of immediate connection with others of similar experience. It's an antidote to a busy child-focused day. When I've spend the day consumed with taking care of my children's constant needs, it's nice to connect with other adults and reflect on the daysharing the challenges or funny moments that occurred, says Amanda Manning, mother of three. It also helps to read what other moms are experiencing. I need reassurance that I'm not the only one with challenging kids.

Certainly connecting with other moms reduces the feeling of isolation that many stay-at-home-moms experience. It helps parents feel that they're part of a community. Sharing our stories is a basic human need. It completes the experience for us. And sites that allow parents to post magic moments caught on film or video are even more enticing. Many of us want the world to know how adorable our little one looks in his or her new outfit or share the moment the camera captured as our kid kicked the winning ball into the goal. It's a way to record the moment for posterity.

Additionally, some sites like CafeMom.com, MomsTown.com

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