When Gilmore Girls was released in the early 2000s, Lorelai Gilmore was the coolest mom on TV. After having Rory at a young age, she was the youngest mom in the group, which meant her fashion sense and taste in music were on par with her daughter’s. In the eyes of Rory and her friends, this alone made Lorelai a cool mom.
Thanks to streaming, more and more fans are rewatching the series. Audiences realize that Lorelai had a lot of emotional trauma from her childhood that still lingered, which is why she wanted to be that “cool” mom that her daughter respected and needed. Despite some personal issues, in the eyes of Rory and her friends, Lorelai was a cool mom.
The House Party That Got Out Of Control
After going to a house party with Jess to see Lane’s band perform, the night ended early when Dean and Jess got into a fight. Rory was at the center of it all, which put Luke and Lorelai in a strange situation.
When Lorelai found out that not only was Rory at a house party but a brawl broke out over her, she was more relieved than angry. It was one of Lorelai and Rory's best moments. She started singing “Hero” and was almost jealous that her daughter was the talk of the town. Most kids would love to have that kind of reaction instead of being grounded.
Rory’s First Kiss
Although Rory and Lorelai were close and Rory could tell her anything, that didn’t mean that Rory always felt comfortable doing so. After Dean kissed her for the first time, the first person Rory told was Lane. At this time, Rory and Dean felt like they were soulmates. Lorelai eventually found out about the kiss from Mrs. Kim and hated that Rory didn’t tell her. And Rory didn’t tell her until Lorelai brought it up.
Although Rory was a little uneasy talking about something so private, Lorelai kept their communication open and non-judgmental. The two stayed up through the night talking about Rory’s first kiss and it was a sweet moment for the pair.
Asia In Stars Hollow
Rory was upset when her and Logan’s summer plans of backpacking through Asia were disturbed by his work. Knowing how upset Rory was, Lorelai turned their living room into a mini Asia and threw a themed dinner.
Rory was so happy by the gesture, while Lorelai was excited to spend more time with her daughter that wasn’t interrupted by Logan. And while the dinner didn’t end well, Lorelai was a cool mom for turning a sad time into a happy one.
Backpacking Through Europe
When Rory graduated high school, Lorelai’s gift to her was backpacking around Europe. They wanted to do all of the touristy things and stay in hostels with other travelers. A trip after graduation was one of Lorelai and Rory's more relatable moments.
When they came back to Stars Hollow, they were cultured but exhausted. They had gifts for everyone and were excited to talk about their explorations. Of course, things changed when Rory realized her college orientation was sooner than she expected, but it was cool if Lorelai gave Rory that experience.
Rory’s 21st Birthday Was Amazing
Rory’s 21st birthday came at a time when Lorelai and Rory were feuding and not in a great space. Rory wasn’t even living with Lorelai at that time. This was a time when Rory and Lorelai did the worst things to each other. The birthday was a hard one for both women because Rory’s 21st was supposed to be a magical one spent with Lorelai.
They were supposed to go to Atlantic City, play gambling games with the number 21, order her first legal drink, and talk to 21 guys. Luckily for the two of them, they were able to do Rory’s wild birthday in Atlantic City.
Rory And Paris Borrowed Her Clothes
In Rory’s eyes, it didn’t get any cooler than sharing clothes with her mom. The two were shown throughout the series borrowing each other’s t-shirts, sweaters, and jewelry. One of the cooler parts was when Paris showed up at Rory’s house on a whim to get ready for a date, and Rory let her borrow some of her mom’s clothes. This was a turning point in Paris and Rory's friendship.
Paris thought it was the coolest thing that Rory could share clothes with her mom — especially since Paris didn’t have that kind of relationship with her mother.
A Yale Slumber Party
Everyone knew that college was going to be a sore subject when the time finally came. Rory and Lorelai were so close, how were they supposed to go through day-to-day activities without each other? Although Rory made a bunch of mistakes at Yale, calling her mom for help was not one of them.
When Lorelai was done moving Rory in and it was time to let Rory be an adult on her own, the goodbye was bitter-sweet. However, while Lorelai was on the way home, Rory called her in tears begging for her to come back. She was angry and embarrassed that she relied so heavily on her mom. Eventually, Lorelai—being the cool mom that she was—turned the upsetting day into a cooler night. She showed up with pizzas in-hand, ready for a sleepover. She invited Rory’s new friends and made the experience less lonely for everyone.
Driving Without A License
In the episode ‘The Deer Hunters,’ Rory overslept from studying so hard and was going to be late for her exam. Knowing that she would only slow Rory down, Lorelai threw her keys at Rory and allowed her to drive herself. Rory got hit by a deer on her way to school but she made it there in one piece, albeit incredibly late. Lorelai's future boyfriend—and Lorelai's teacher—Max Medina had to handle Rory's lateness.
However, the thing that fans missed is that Rory was only 15 years old at the time; a time when she doesn’t have a learner’s permit for a driver’s license. It’s obvious that Rory has driven with Lorelai before because of how Rory was driving, but it showed real trust in Lorelai allowing her daughter to drive without being legally able. In Rory’s eyes, her mom was incredibly cool for letting her drive to school so she wouldn’t be late.
A Concert With Amazing Seats
Lorelai and Sookie were excited to see the Bangles in concert. They had amazing seats and were counting down the days until the big night. But when Rory started having a good time with girls that she normally didn’t (Paris, Louise, and Madeline), Lorelai suggested they took her and Sookie’s tickets instead.
Although it was a cruel move to Sookie, it was a cool mom move for Rory. Rory got to have great seats at a concert with new friends. And while the night ended horribly because of Madeline and Louise, it was still cool of Lorelai to get them there.
A Non-Awkward First Date With Dean
At the start of Rory and Dean’s relationship timeline, the two were nervous being around each other — as most young teens are with crushes. Knowing that Rory would never get over her shyness around Dean, Lorelai got them both out of their comfort zone and asked Dean over their house for pizza and movies.
Although Rory was incredibly embarrassed and nervous, it was cool of Lorelai to have their first date at home (where she could keep an eye on them). The night ended up being a fun time and it broke the ice between Dean and Rory.