By Christina Soto | Broadcast Managing Editor
Society expects a “perfect” family to be one with both parents and a few children, also known as the “nuclear family.” However, I have learned that there is no such thing as a “perfect” family. Every family is dysfunctional in some way.
My relationship with my mom is unlike most. She and I are best friends, which may sound like a typical mother-daughter relationship, but we share a bond that not many can relate to. Since I was little, I have grown up with just one parent. My mom has played both roles in my life: mother and father.
Playing sports, I never had that “volleyball dad,” but my mom was at all my games, and my friends and family were there for support. Since it was just me and my mom, more people invested in me. My teammates’ dads and my friends’ dads have always treated me as their own. Though I did not have a dad, I got many dads because more people worked to be a part of my life.
When you are part of a single-parent home, there are a lot of advantages. It is very easy to decide on places to eat because there are just two people choosing. We are able to travel to more places and plan vacations more easily since it’s just us. Trips are less expensive than your traditional family since you only have to buy two airline tickets and one hotel room. With just me and my mom, there is no drama, because if we fight, (which we never do) then we would just be by ourselves, separated in the house, and that’s not fun.
Growing up with just my mom and me has definitely made me stronger, wiser and more independent. I was exposed to more of life’s obstacles and adversity, and I’m far from sheltered. My mom has taught me to be fearless, courageous and independent. We always say “We are the Christy-Mommy team,” and when we are together, there is honestly nothing that can stop us. She has taught me that I can handle way more than I think I can. We have faced adversity, but we overcame it together.
Since day one, she has been my No. 1 fan, my biggest supporter and the first person I go to for anything. From attending all of my volleyball games to cheering me on while I played water polo and going to all my school functions, my mom was always there and, of course, bragging about me.
Out of all the memories I have with my mom, one of my favorites is watching TV with her at night. It was part of our nightly routine once I was done with practice and my homework: we would heat up dinner and eat it on the couch, and we would watch our favorite shows,. Those shows changed as I grew up: from “Arthur” to “Zabomafu,” then, of course, “Pretty Little Liars.” However, the show we loved most was “Gilmore Girls.” Our moments on the couch eating dinner or ice cream, wondering who ‘A’ is or wondering when Luke and Lorelai were going to start dating is by far one of the things I miss the most now that I am in college.
My mom and I fell in love with “Gilmore Girls” from the first very episode; especially when we realized how much we both resemble Rory and Lorelai Gilmore. Just like Lorelai, my mom is the same bubbly, loving and proud mom. We are both coffee addicts who drink multiple cups a day. We can’t function without it.
My mom had a relationship with her mom very similar to the one between Lorelai and Emily. My mom and my grandma were not close, and they fought all the time. Even though they really did love and care for each other, they had an interesting way of showing it.
I always saw myself as Rory growing up. When I was younger, I dreamed of going to an Ivy League school (which obviously did not happen). I was studious and independent. However, the one thing that I can relate to most about Rory is our passion for journalism. We always strive to find stories, we work best under pressure and we have a competitive nature.
However, the biggest reason why Gilmore girls mean the world to me is that it not only focuses on the relationship that Rory and her mother have, but it shows that it takes a village to raise a person. If it weren’t for the people in Stars Hollow, Rory would not be the woman she became.
So, I am thankful for my village, my Stars Hollow: my friends, mentors, family and mother, who have built me into the woman I am today.
Christina Soto is a senior journalism major from Miami.
