Since the first time I watched " Gilmore Girls," Lorelai and Rory Gilmore's mother-daughter relationship stuck with me. I was fascinated by the fact that Rory was so close with her mother, because at that time, my mother and I did not have a Lorelai-Rory relationship.
As one can tell by the title of the show, Rory and Lorelai's relationship is the show's most important dynamic. Every episode includes ups and down and pop culture references, which became the bedrock of almost every episode that aired. The most important aspect of Rory and Lorelai's relationship is that they don't just see each other as mother and daughter, parent and child. Instead, they are the Gilmore Girls; they're best friends.
Lorelai and Rory broke the mold of typical parent and child relationships by actually hanging out each other. For them, a night on the couch watching a movie isn't considered forced bonding, it's the number one thing that they want to do. Lorelai's taste in music, movies, and food influences what Rory likes, and instead of rejecting everything her mother is interested in, she embraces it. Being friends, though, is obviously more than just sharing common interests. It's about supporting one another during life's best and worst moments. Lorelai goes to her parents to pay for Rory's tuition at her elite private school, something that she dreads doing. Meanwhile, years later, Rory returns the favor by borrowing money from Lorelai's parents once again, to help Lorelai pursue her dreams of opening her own inn in Stars Hollow.
My mother and I started watching "Gilmore Girls" together when I was young, so it wasn't until it came on Netflix that I realized how much Rory and Lorelai's relationship was reflected in my relationship with my mom, and how much it actually taught me.
1. It's okay if your mom is your best friend.
Though this is something that my mom and I have a hard time admitting to each other, because it's hard to draw the line between mother and best friend, now that I am older, I can say with full confidence that my mother is my best friend. If I need anything, my mom will be there. If I need some cheering up, my mom will send me something that will make me feel better. If I need advice on boys, who better to ask than someone with 30+ years of experience? Having a mother-daughter relationship is so important, and no one shows it better than the Gilmore Girls.
2. It's okay to be immature sometimes.
One thing that is so great about Rory and Lorelai's relationship is their ability to mess around with each other. My mom and I would definitely not have the relationship we have if we didn't involve humor. My mom is a nurse, and even she will admit that laughter is truly the best medicine.
3. You can't choose your family.
Every family is crazy. Trust me, I'm pretty sure I come from the craziest, but Emily and Richard Gilmore are high up on the crazy list too. In the end, though, everyone comes from crazy families, but they are family, and we love them just the same.
4. Sometimes, you're more like your mother than you think you are (or want to be).
Admitting this is like vinegar coming out of my mouth, but admit it I will. Though my mom always told me "we fight because we're so similar," I never wanted to believe it. It's the weird cycle that just keeps going around and around. Though my mom and I look absolutely nothing alike (she refuses to admit that she did once actually have brown curly hair), our personalities couldn't be more similar. One day, you're arguing with your mom about how neither of you want to go to the gym but you need to, and then the next day, you're helping her plan dinner parties. Like I said, it goes around and around, but I definitely fear the day that comes when I have a daughter and have to basically raise myself.
5. Be you, the most fabulous version of you that you can be.
One of the most important lessons that Lorelai taught Rory was to always be yourself. No matter if it was saying something weird or spontaneous, or eating more than three meals a day, Lorelai made sure that Rory never felt like she was acting like someone that she was not.
I am forever thankful that the show "Gilmore Girls" came into my life, because without it, I definitely don't think my mother-daughter relationship would be anywhere close to where it is today. Lorelai and Rory taught me the importance of being friends with your mom. They taught me that it's okay to be weird and silly with her, that it's okay to talk about the drama in your life, but most importantly, they taught me that the number one lesson in life is to love your mom with your whole heart.
