Gilmore Girls Ruined Me For Single Motherhood
I spent almost the entirety of my pregnancy looking forward to a new episode of “Gilmore Girls” every Tuesday night. I had been watching the show since it debuted because I connected with the strained relationship that Lorelai had with her mother Emily. As I felt my own little girl tumbling around in my belly, I watched and imagined that someday she and I would be just like Lorelai and Rory.
We never got to see Lorelai with all of her sleepless nights and how she managed to work her way up at the inn with a child in tow. If her journey was anything like mine, she probably worked with Rory strapped to her chest when she could or had Rory chilling in an unattended infant swing hidden away from guests when she couldn’t. While I was grateful for an employer that allowed me to bring an infant to work, I never stopped feeling guilty for tucking her out of sight while I corralled wedding guests. With no health insurance, no paid leave and an income of $12.50 an hour, I had to go back to work far sooner than I was emotionally ready for.
We didn’t watch Lorelai sort through bags of hand-me-downs — a gift that would free up her meager income to afford an unexpected Jeep repair, but I’m sure she did. We got a glimpse of her trying to be present at all of Rory’s school functions while also trying to juggle her career and a small social life, a dance…
