With Mother’s Day fast approaching, I wanted to spotlight an example of less-than-perfect parenting. Emily Gilmore may be the absolute worst at times, but she does have her moments as a mother and grandmother. Here are just a few of my favorites.
Rory’s Dance
While Rory is off at a Chilton dance with Dean, Lorelei struggles with an injured back. Despite her protests, Emily comes to Stars Hollow for last minute dance prep. And despite more protests, Emily sticks around to take care of an injured Lorelei. Sure, the following morning wasn’t a great moment between the two of them, but for that one night we got to see Emily in a loving mother role.
Lorelei’s Graduation Day
She was against her parents attending her business school graduation, but Rory knew better and invited Lorelei’s parents anyway. Emily went way over the top with corsages and cameras, but she meant well. And it was surprisingly well received by Lorelei. In the end, she was grateful for her parents’ attendance. Especially since Rory was absent… but her mistakes are a post for another time.
Defending Against Richard
When her husband goes up against his former partner Jason (Lorelei’s boyfriend) leaving him in the deep end of the business world, Emily actually stands up for Jason. Not for his sake, but because she doesn’t want to lose Lorelei as a result. It’s a little bit selfish on her part I suppose, but the genuine fear of losing her daughter again is striking.
Buying Lorelei a House
Despite their misgivings about Luke in the beginning, Lorelei’s parents eventually realized how happy he made her and how permanent this relationship seemed to be. So to show their support, they planned on a house as a wedding present. While showing this amazing gift to Lorelei, Emily discovered the troubles she was having with Luke. In the aftermath of Lorelei’s breakdown, it was beautiful to see Emily sitting with her.
During Lorelei’s Divorce
As Lorelei was going through her divorce from Christopher, Emily had a wonderful moment of mothering. Nothing could take the sting out of Lorelei’s divorce, but Emily reminded her daughter of her strengths. She was independent and strong for years without a man. And her mother knew that. She may not have given many pep talks in her mothering career, but her canoe speech is pretty great.
The Gilmore Girls Road Tripping
The series was nearly at an end when Lorelei and Rory planned a trip to attend Mia’s wedding. With Emily tagging along, it could have been incredibly awkward–kinda was at some points. But despite the awkward moments, it gave Emily a chance to see deep inside Lorelei and Rory’s experiences and to spend some genuine bonding time with her girls.
Investing in Lorelei’s Inn
As the series wrapped up, Emily insisted on investing in the Dragonfly Inn. Build a spa? A tennis court? Anything to be financially involved in the Inn. At first it seemed like a way to meddle in Lorelei’s life, but during the final scenes, it became obvious that Emily was just scared. No more Rory. No more financial obligations for school. Would she lose her daughter again? No. Instead of making it a deal or an obligation, Lorelei just simply told her mother “why don't we just talk about it Friday night at dinner?”
She wasn’t the perfect mother. Far from it. But she genuinely cared about her girls. She expressed it in all the wrong ways at times. But don’t we all? So happy Mother’s Day to all the moms. Especially the imperfect ones.
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