What It’s Like Being The Real Life Rory & Lorelai Gilmore

“Mom, they made a show about us!”

No joke. That was the first thing I said when I read the description of Gilmore Girls. Because of that, I avoided watching it at all costs. That’s right. I watched exactly none of the seven seasons when it was on tv. Why would I need to? I had the real deal right at home.

It wasn’t until the show got put on Netflix that I decided to give it a try. To everyone else, the show drew them in because the storyline was so unique. A mother-daughter pair that actually liked each other? Must be fiction. But to me, it was much more than that. It was a celebration of a relationship so close to my heart.

My mom and I have a relationship that can rival the Gilmores. There, I said it. I mean it too. Despite the fact that my mom didn’t have me when she was that young — she was 24 instead of 16 — we are just as close and had the same kind of witty banter and inside jokes.

I watched the show much differently than my friends did. While I watched, I found myself thinking, “my mom and I would do that so differently.” Road-tripping to Harvard? Come on, go somewhere practical, like when my mom and I went shopping at outlets all day. Backpacking through Europe? That’s cool and all, but it doesn’t beat the time that we took the entire summer to plan a sleepover party for all of my friends. It was complete with an un-birthday cake, Willy Wonka lick-able wallpaper, and a scavenger hunt around the entire house, just in case you were wondering.

It was then that I realized that my entire life had been Gilmored and I didn’t even realize it. No, I didn’t have rich grandparents, but they did spoil me like crazy. Yes, my dad was around in my life and my home, but he wasn’t a significant part of my upbringing. The minute details aside, I was living the life of Rory and Lorelai without even knowing it. Minus the weird double name thing. I’ll never understand that part.

My mom followed where I led, and I she, for almost my entire life. Every decision from small, like where to order for dinner, to large, like where I would go to college, was decided by the two of us. Partners in crime. People knew us when we walked in markets and restaurants and neighbors were always friendly. And guess what? I loved every second of it.

Like Rory, I lived in a world of books. I read everything I could get my hands. My mom was the exact opposite. Sound familiar? She taught me all of the good Alanis Morissette songs and which ones to avoid, could just as easily be entertained by reality tv as she could be by her favorite sitcom Friends, and she was the most incredible role model I could possibly have. Basically, I could write in here everything that Rory said in her high school graduation speech and it would make sense. It’s that scary-similar.

I know what you’re thinking. “Oy, with the poodles already. This can’t possibly as good as it seems.” But it really is. My mom was there when I called her to come back to my dorm room three times freshman year. She taught me how to drive as well as how to do the Chinese Fire Drill at stop signs. Most importantly, she was willing to give me tough love when no one else was.

Twenty-four years and we’re still going strong too. Like the Gilmores, my mom welcomed me with open arms when I decided to move home after college. It was like nothing had changed during my time away. I know that a time will come when the relationship will end, just like the tv show, but until then I’ll be drinking it all in. Just like I am currently drinking my fifth cup of coffee of the day. No commercial breaks needed.

Feature image via Netflix