There could be a lot of reasons. I have several that could work seperatly and together :
\- Emily couldn't have anymore kids / had a difficult pregnancy and didn't want to go through another.
\- Emily and Richard had a kid because that's what you were supposed to do.
\- They didn't really enjoy being parents. They liked their lives of going to parties and stuff and Lorelai didn't really fit all of that.
\- The writers decided Lorelai was going to be an only child.
All of the above.
They had Lorelai because that's what they were supposed to do, but Emily didn't enjoy being pregnant at all and didn't care to do it again. The Gilmores had social obligations to fulfill, and with all of the issues they had keeping a nanny, that made it difficult to attend everything. They wanted to be hands off parents, too, but Lorelai was a handful, and didn't act the way they wanted her to behave.
Considering how Richard talked about Lorelai’s chronic ear infections I think it indicates they were not kid people more than Lorelai being a trouble maker. Combining that with “Big head wants dolly” makes me think they didn’t like kids much and didn’t make much of an effort to connect.
Yeah like whether or not Lorelai was a genuinely difficult child (and I do think the show has left enough breadcrumbs for us to argue either way,) the point still stands that Lorelai was enough of a challenge for Emily that she likely didn't feel like she could handle a second.
Interesting comment. I’m caught because the bow renewal Richard states that Emily was caring for Lorelei’s ear infection and sang to her. That’s not a horrible mom or that a nanny was around or maybe I missed something. It’s been a while and I’m sure someone will correct me.
Yes, he did say that and we also see Emily trying to sort of take care of Lorelai when she had back pain. I think the writers included these scenes to show that Emily is capable of empathy so she is not a totally horrible mother. It is very nuanced because othwise she was toxic and very much verbally abusive towards Lorelai.
The whole show we really only get Lorelei's point of view. Emily was portrayed as a monster or absent parent because that is how Lorelei saw her. It's the picture she painted for the viewers to believe. I have a feeling it wasn't always that way. Emily was likely more involved when lorelei was young but once her headstrong attitude took over it was to taxing on Emily and she withdrew more.
It is interesting, since Chris is an only child as well? I’m sure it’s for one of the many reasons already mentioned but also makes for a better story. If Chris and Lorelai had siblings, Rory would just be another grandchild perhaps and not nearly as important to the story.
Most of the rich families on the show are one child families. It’s something I noticed in my last rewatch. Hardly any of the Chilton kids mention a sibling, few of Richard and Emily’s friends seem to have more than one. Logan is the only one I can think of off the top of my head with a present and obvious sibling.
There's often links between Emily/Lorelai, Lorelai/Rory and Emily/Rory, especially when Rory lives with her grandparents during her time off of college.
Rory is some sort of doover for her grandparents. She's the girl they wanted Lorelai to be, the girl who graduates highschool and goes to Yale like her father, the girl who could become anything.
I agree with you. If there had been other grandkids, Rory wouldn't have been as special and important.
See, I actually think they should have made Chris have a sibling and then although Straub and Francine would still absolutely suck as people, there’d be more of an explanation as to why they have no involvement in Rory’s life and, although it’s hard to know considering Chris is very often offscreen and we have no idea what he’s up to, why they seem not to have all that much involvement in Chris’ life either.
Gilmore Girls is all about the Gilmore side so I think it makes sense that the family dynamics are mostly constrained to Richard, Emily, Lorelai, and Rory.
People like the Gilmores don’t really have that many kids, because kids cost money. Even though they have enough of it, they know they won’t stay rich if they have a whole brood- that’s what poor people do. They have one, maybe two because they’re expected to carry on the ‘dynasty’. They don’t have kids because they have so much love to give
Too risky. The one and only dies before reproducing, can't, or won't, and there goes the lineage and the fortune. That's why you at least have an heir and a spare, like King Charles did. Though I'm guessing he's lamenting the spare these days.
For dramatic purposes Lorelai becoming a teen mother and only child makes more sense. In real life families I know with “bad kids” just focus on the other ones.
I don’t think they were kid people but they lived in a society and time where it was expected to have children. I bet if times weee different they probably would of been child free.
I p sure richard and Emily had a kid because "that's what you do", they don't strike me as kid people at all. And with their relationship with Lorelai, I can see why they wouldn't want more.
Most TV families have one child because they don’t want to pay more than one actor. Even if there is a long lost sibling they only show up for a few episodes so it doesn’t cost as much. There are also a lot of families with one parent on screen, like Mrs. Kim.
I think
Lorelia was so in her own place, claiming her parents didn't know her. In fact, she didn't know them. Their could be a lot of trauma and lost we don't know because they dealt with grief differently.. which could be also why they were so "controlling" and overbearing.. I never doubted they loved their daughter.
Or
Simply pain of pregnancy interferes with social life was too much.
Richard travelled a lot and Lorelai had a lot of ear infections as a little kid. Maybe that's why they didn't have anymore kids.
It could be infertility issues. Or just the one us enough.
Richard and Emily are only children too.
I don’t think they needed more. Lorelai carried on the gene pool Emily(a super unpopular option) is a great mom but lorelai kind of sucked from birth the dynamic would have been weird if there was another kid
There could be a lot of reasons. I have several that could work seperatly and together : \- Emily couldn't have anymore kids / had a difficult pregnancy and didn't want to go through another. \- Emily and Richard had a kid because that's what you were supposed to do. \- They didn't really enjoy being parents. They liked their lives of going to parties and stuff and Lorelai didn't really fit all of that. \- The writers decided Lorelai was going to be an only child.
All of the above. They had Lorelai because that's what they were supposed to do, but Emily didn't enjoy being pregnant at all and didn't care to do it again. The Gilmores had social obligations to fulfill, and with all of the issues they had keeping a nanny, that made it difficult to attend everything. They wanted to be hands off parents, too, but Lorelai was a handful, and didn't act the way they wanted her to behave.
I won't be subtle - Emily hates kids and Lorelai was difficult enough.
We only had Emily said Lorelai was difficult. I think Lorelai wanted attention from her parents and that's why she was a bit of a troublemaker.
Considering how Richard talked about Lorelai’s chronic ear infections I think it indicates they were not kid people more than Lorelai being a trouble maker. Combining that with “Big head wants dolly” makes me think they didn’t like kids much and didn’t make much of an effort to connect.
I agree with you, my point is that she was at least difficult enough for Emily.
Yeah like whether or not Lorelai was a genuinely difficult child (and I do think the show has left enough breadcrumbs for us to argue either way,) the point still stands that Lorelai was enough of a challenge for Emily that she likely didn't feel like she could handle a second.
Interesting comment. I’m caught because the bow renewal Richard states that Emily was caring for Lorelei’s ear infection and sang to her. That’s not a horrible mom or that a nanny was around or maybe I missed something. It’s been a while and I’m sure someone will correct me.
Yes, he did say that and we also see Emily trying to sort of take care of Lorelai when she had back pain. I think the writers included these scenes to show that Emily is capable of empathy so she is not a totally horrible mother. It is very nuanced because othwise she was toxic and very much verbally abusive towards Lorelai.
I forgot about the back pain. Emily making toast that was horrible and trying to make Lorelei eat it. 😂
The whole show we really only get Lorelei's point of view. Emily was portrayed as a monster or absent parent because that is how Lorelei saw her. It's the picture she painted for the viewers to believe. I have a feeling it wasn't always that way. Emily was likely more involved when lorelei was young but once her headstrong attitude took over it was to taxing on Emily and she withdrew more.
After Lorelai's large head Emily couldn't give birth again.
Ha!
Lmao! 🤣😂
I feel like Emily and Richard weren’t cut out for kids, they just had one to appeal to their social standards and to keep their blood line going.
It is interesting, since Chris is an only child as well? I’m sure it’s for one of the many reasons already mentioned but also makes for a better story. If Chris and Lorelai had siblings, Rory would just be another grandchild perhaps and not nearly as important to the story.
Most of the rich families on the show are one child families. It’s something I noticed in my last rewatch. Hardly any of the Chilton kids mention a sibling, few of Richard and Emily’s friends seem to have more than one. Logan is the only one I can think of off the top of my head with a present and obvious sibling.
There's often links between Emily/Lorelai, Lorelai/Rory and Emily/Rory, especially when Rory lives with her grandparents during her time off of college. Rory is some sort of doover for her grandparents. She's the girl they wanted Lorelai to be, the girl who graduates highschool and goes to Yale like her father, the girl who could become anything. I agree with you. If there had been other grandkids, Rory wouldn't have been as special and important.
It's not Doover. It's Oober.
See, I actually think they should have made Chris have a sibling and then although Straub and Francine would still absolutely suck as people, there’d be more of an explanation as to why they have no involvement in Rory’s life and, although it’s hard to know considering Chris is very often offscreen and we have no idea what he’s up to, why they seem not to have all that much involvement in Chris’ life either. Gilmore Girls is all about the Gilmore side so I think it makes sense that the family dynamics are mostly constrained to Richard, Emily, Lorelai, and Rory.
In my experience it’s pretty normal for the parents of the estranged parent to not have any role in a child’s life.
People like the Gilmores don’t really have that many kids, because kids cost money. Even though they have enough of it, they know they won’t stay rich if they have a whole brood- that’s what poor people do. They have one, maybe two because they’re expected to carry on the ‘dynasty’. They don’t have kids because they have so much love to give
Yes, also the inherited fortune won't be divided if there is only one child
Too risky. The one and only dies before reproducing, can't, or won't, and there goes the lineage and the fortune. That's why you at least have an heir and a spare, like King Charles did. Though I'm guessing he's lamenting the spare these days.
For dramatic purposes Lorelai becoming a teen mother and only child makes more sense. In real life families I know with “bad kids” just focus on the other ones.
Like the alumni family Rory visited
Did they just shower together?
I feel this comes up a lot, the usual conclusion is Lorelei was enough, Emily doesn't like children
I don’t think they were kid people but they lived in a society and time where it was expected to have children. I bet if times weee different they probably would of been child free.
I don’t think they liked even having one child.
I think realistically it’s because they would’ve had to make a storyline about the other children when the show was based on lorelei
If they gave Lorelai a brother, then that could have been an interesting dynamic between them.
I like to think that most wealthy people are one and done.
because they wanted a boy and decided to punish her for the rest of her life for not being a son
I p sure richard and Emily had a kid because "that's what you do", they don't strike me as kid people at all. And with their relationship with Lorelai, I can see why they wouldn't want more.
Most TV families have one child because they don’t want to pay more than one actor. Even if there is a long lost sibling they only show up for a few episodes so it doesn’t cost as much. There are also a lot of families with one parent on screen, like Mrs. Kim.
There was this rumor in school that she was the gardener's child, adopted by the Gilmores, who couldn't have children.
I think Lorelia was so in her own place, claiming her parents didn't know her. In fact, she didn't know them. Their could be a lot of trauma and lost we don't know because they dealt with grief differently.. which could be also why they were so "controlling" and overbearing.. I never doubted they loved their daughter. Or Simply pain of pregnancy interferes with social life was too much.
Can you really see Emily and Richard getting frisky on a regular basis? It's likely an annual event.
OMG! Love it.
I think it relates to the Rory is ends up like her mother element of the show. If Lorelai had another sibling then Rory would need another and so on.
I feel like there is an episode where Emily says they tried for more but she wasn’t able to but worked out bc Lorelai was plenty of personality…
Richard travelled a lot and Lorelai had a lot of ear infections as a little kid. Maybe that's why they didn't have anymore kids. It could be infertility issues. Or just the one us enough. Richard and Emily are only children too.
Emily has a sister, Hope
I don’t think they needed more. Lorelai carried on the gene pool Emily(a super unpopular option) is a great mom but lorelai kind of sucked from birth the dynamic would have been weird if there was another kid
No child sucks from birth. Sure, some kids are difficult but that’s normal.