9.16.13 4

Daughter-in-Law Diaries…A Closer Look

Do you ever struggle with your relationship with your mother-in-law or know anyone who does?

If so, enter Daughter-in-Law Diaries into your life! Ask a therapist questions anonymously and get amazing, free advice, anonymously”dish” a story or two, and find topics of conversation to bond over with your MIL. If you just got engaged or married, just had kids, or have been married for years, there is something for everyone on Daughter-in-Law Diaries.

We visited with Ali Katz, the founder and creator of Daughter-in-Law Diaries to learn more about this exciting and unique website.

ACWOM: How did the idea come to you for Daughter-in-Law Diaries?
Ali: When I first got married and had kids I was much more uptight. I let every little thing that my MIL did annoy me. In order to channel my emotions I began writing a book about you guessed it…a girl and her mother-in-law. It was cathartic and humorous, and easier than leaving my baby to go to therapy! After writing about 100 pages, I reread my work and realized that I didn’t really like the main character- and she was based off of me! That caused me to do a lot of soul searching and really see that I needed to mature and handle parts of my relationship with my MIL better.
I also listened to everyone around me, and noticed that so many women were struggling with their MIL relationships. There wasn’t a forum for discussion on this topic, so I decided to start one.
Before I proceeded with the idea I sat down with my MIL to explain my vision and to get her blessing. Once she realized that my goal was to help others better their relationships, and not to simply write about her on the internet, she was very supportive. She reads the website, and when she tells me she enjoyed a post or that she is proud of me, it is the ultimate compliment!

ACWOM: How did you tell your husband about the blog/website?
Ali: I am extremely lucky to have a husband who is supportive of everything I do. He always encourages me to explore my passions and try things that are important to me, whether it be a new volunteer opportunity or starting Daughter-in-Law Diaries.
He has witnessed first hand the growth that my relationship with his mom has undergone, and how much more easy-going I am with her. I went from complaining to him years ago about every little thing, to enjoying a much more fulfilling and pleasant relationship. I learned the hard way that my husband doesn’t want to hear lots of nitpicky things about his mom all the time, and there are better outlets such as a friend or Daughter-in-Law Diaries!

ACWOM: What has been your biggest struggle with blogging?
Ali: I would say bringing your ideas to fruition and getting them out there are much harder than I anticipated. I have never been scared of hard work, but I definitely was on a learning curve with this project. I had no prior experience with building a website from scratch, so I had to learn the ins and outs of that first.
The other major obstacle is visibility. Here I had this amazing, original idea and I started my website thinking that it would explode overnight. Every time my phone rang I half expected it to be Oprah or the producers of Today asking to feature Daughter-in-Law Diaries, and I am only half kidding!!
There are so many creative, wonderful ideas out there, and the only way to get noticed in this fast-paced internet world is through A LOT of hard work and dedication. It is simply harder than it sounds, but I am committed, and proud all of the people that DIL Diaries has helped so far, and will continue to help in the future.

ACWOM: What is your favorite part about he slog/social media world?
Ali: The excitement! Every time I read a blog, peruse Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest it is like being on a treasure hunt. I never know what gems I am going to find, whether it be a moving story, fashion ideas or an amazing recipe.

ACWOM: What are your hopes for your blog?
Ali: My goal is the be the ultimate resource for everything DIL! Our amazing therapists have helped our readers tremendously, and we hope to reach more and more people.
I hope to offer features on the blog section that are meaningful and valuable to our readers, and of course maintain a safe, anonymous place that DILs everywhere can turn to.

Visit Daughter-in-Law Diaries on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram at alikatz76.

Leave a Comment

4 Comments

  1. Love this – I’m coming up on my one-year anniversary and have had my own special experience with a MIL. Thankful to see a community of women going through the same adjustment!

    Published 9.16.13
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  2. Julie wrote:

    I will have to check this out. I can attest that in my marriage, I did not marry for my in-laws and the best thing in our family (her own kids and husband included) is to let her think she’s always right and life is smooth sailing…no joke!

    Published 9.16.13
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  3. Christi wrote:

    I think this is fabulous! Even though I have a great relationship with my mother-in-law, there is always room for improvement!

    Published 9.16.13
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