Lauren Graham plays Lorelai Gilmore, one of the best mothers in television and the best friend of her daughter, Rory.

Why Lorelai Gilmore is One of the Best TV Moms

From 2000-2007, Gilmore Girls ruled the world of television and the mother-daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory, became household names. Gilmore Girls is a drama/comedy series that centers around single mother Lorelai, who is raising her teenage daughter Rory in a small town in Connecticut called Stars Hollow. It’s a kitschy little place that strives on town meetings and coffee, seeming to be in its own little world, away from city life and big box stores. Lorelai is played by Lauren Graham, and Rory is played by Alexis Bledel; the two playing wonderfully off each other with fast dialogue and copious amounts of caffeine. While the show is centered around Lorelai and Rory, they are flanked by amazing side characters played by Melissa McCarthy, Scott Patterson, Kelly Bishop, the late Edward Herrmann, Jared Padalecki and Milo Ventimiglia.

Throughout the series, viewers watch as Lorelai loves and cares for Rory in a way she didn’t have while growing up. Her way of parenting is a sharp contrast to her own parents, and the basis of the show really relies on that and how different their relationship is compared to Lorelai and her mother, Emily. Throughout the seven seasons, it is proven that Lorelai is a great mom, from the very first episode to the finale, and even might be the best mom in television history. Entertainment states, that the plot of the finale was the best thing they could have done for the series, sending Rory off to work with Barack Obama on his campaign, while Lorelai wishes her the best with utmost confidence and shiny eyes. Here are a few examples as to why Lorelai is the best mother on TV.

Raising Rory by Herself

When she was just 16, Lorelai became pregnant with Rory by Christopher Hayden, Rory’s father. Her mother and father, Emily and Richard Gilmore, decided that the two would get married because that was the thing you did back then when you had an unexpected pregnancy, but neither of the young teens wanted to do that. So, Lorelai decided to leave home one day, moving into a little cottage at the back of the Independence Inn, where Lorelai ended up getting a job as a maid. She managed to work her way up throughout the years, until she was helping to run the place; the title of manager gifted to her due to all her hard work. Christopher was nowhere to be found, and was basically an absent dad; the Gilmore Girls website confirming that the first time he visited their home was when Rory was 16, so Lorelai did all the work that came to raising Rory by herself. It paid off greatly due to how smart Rory turned out to be and how good of a person she seemed to be while growing up.

Lorelai was adamant about raising Rory to the best of her ability, giving her all the tools to live her best life and get the best education that she worked hard for. There are a few episodes where Christopher comes around and visits, but Rory isn’t mystified by his presence, and still keeps Lorelai up on that pedestal of being the best parent she could possibly have. The show represents the two main characters as being best friends instead of having that conventional mother/daughter relationship – until things get tough and Lorelai actually has to be firm and mother-like. Even then, Rory knows that it’s the best possible option for whatever spat they’re having at the time, whether it was about a boy or someone her mother was dating. Lorelai raised Rory by herself and did a fantastic job of doing so.

Fixing Relationship With Her Parents

From the very beginning of season one, it is clear that Lorelai and her parents have a terrible relationship. To even say that they have a relationship is a stretch, but when it comes to Rory’s education, things start to be repaired. It all starts with Rory being accepted to Chilton, an elite private high school that Lorelai unfortunately can’t afford, so she has to head home and ask her parents for help. They eagerly want to pay for Chilton, but it comes with terms; a Friday night dinner that both Gilmore girls have to attend to ensure payments. Despite the bad blood there, Lorelai does it for Rory, and with that, starts to patch things up that happened when she was younger.

Throughout the series, it’s clear that Richard and Emily become two strong pillars in Rory’s life; Lorelai realizing that she was depriving her daughter of a life she was so adamant of keeping her away from. She encourages Rory to get closer to her grandparents, as much as that might hurt her, because Lorelai knows that this will only improve her daughter’s life. When she graduates from Chilton, it’s established that the grandparents will now pay for Yale University, continuing the Friday night dinners and that relationship they built. All the while, Rory never forgets her roots, her real roots that came from her mother, and all that she installed in her with being independent and hardworking.

Always Supporting Rory

Through all 154 episodes, it’s extremely clear that Rory is Lorelai’s favorite person to ever exist. She always wanted the best for Rory, and encouraged her that she could do whatever she set her mind to. Usually, they got along like best friends, but in season six, they have one of their biggest fights in the entire series, and it’s centered around Rory dropping out of Yale. Lorelai knows that this is the worst possible decision for her daughter, but also knows that Rory has to come to that conclusion herself, and lets Rory work through it, getting a taste of true adulthood as she struggles to find the right path. Eventually, Rory talks to an old boyfriend (Milo Ventimiglia) after he’s published his first book and realizes that dropping out in the first place was a mistake, makes up with her mother, and all is right in the world of the Gilmore girls.

There’s something very important about the way Lorelai handled that situation, because she could have taken the route that her parents would have chosen, forcing her back into Yale and not letting her figure it out herself, but she let it breathe. She cares for and loves Rory so much, constantly lifting her up and celebrating all things big and small. Lorelai is the best mother on TV because of how she represents her love and the healthy relationship that is portrayed.