Just wow. What a holy terror. I get that Christopher wants to be a good dad and give his new kid everything that he didn't give Rory, but COME ON!

I was hoping that Lorelai would go all Supernanny/Nanny 911 on her ass.

edit: I figured maybe I should expand a bit more...

Is she really 4? It doesn't seem like it was that long ago since she was born. But then again, it is TV, and children age a bit quicker in TV land...

She was born in episode 3.13, so really she'd be just over three. That kid looked too old to be three.

She did look way too old to have just turned three. (I just went back and looked it up - Sherrie's c-section was scheduled for Feb 7 and she went into labor a week before that, so Gigi would have been born around Feb 1, 2003.) But, it's TV so what can you do?

I gotta admit, as a parent, I really felt for Chris last night. When my oldest son was that age he was almost as wild - not because he is spoiled, but because he is just such an impulsive little boy. He's the act first and think about it later type. (Ever read Calvin & Hobbes? THAT is my life.) I know how hard it is when you can't find a babysitter other than the grandparents because nobody else is willing to put up with your child. It's....heartbreaking. It really is. (For the record, he's five now and has matured and calmed down considerably. And my other two kids are a delight. It really is just his personality.)

I completely understood Chris going off on Lorelai when she just flat out told him Gigi is a spoiled brat. It's very easy to build up the denial thing but then somebody who's opinion you really trust comes along and confirms what you won't admit to yourself - it's devestating. And you get such conflicting advice from the "experts" - people are literally afraid to trust their instincts when it comes to raising kids anymore. I had a hearty laugh when Lorelai said 'yes, that was Dr. Spock turning over in his grave'.

On a side note, Lorelai lowering her voice to a whisper when she said '...make up for Sherrie being a crappy mom' is honestly the reason I love her so much. Even though Gigi was asleep and wouldn't hear, and even though Sherrie fully deserved the title, she felt bad actually saying it out loud.

I think the reason Lorelai told Chris that Gigi was spoiled is because her earlier veiled comments as to the child's behaviour were not registering with him. She was concerned enough about the child to risk antagonizing him. As he admitted there was nothing in what she said that he had not been told before.

Of course why a man with all his millions can't afford a fully staffed nursery for Gigi with trained behavioural specialists is something else again.

One of the problems I have with Chris is that I don't think he's trying to give Gigi everything he didn't give Rory. I don't even think that factors into his thinking. What he does think is that he has to give Gigi everything to make up for the fact, as Lorelai says, that Sherrie is a crappy mom. He is appalled and offended that Sherrie would ever run off, and doesn't even seem to really make the connection that this is almost exactly the same situation he stuck Lorelai with, only she didn't have gobs of money and had to work her ass off for a living.

In a way, I think that Chris spoiling Gigi is his way of getting back at Sherrie for leaving them both. As someone who has never studied psych past the high school level, it almost seems as if he wants to punish Sherrie by making it so that Gigi will have no need for her if and when she decides to come back.

I agree. Describing Gigi as "spirited" was just sickening to me. Lorelai was right to describe Gigi as having never heard the word "no" before in her life. I understand that it was probably hard for him to hear that he was raising a devil-child, but that his first instinct was not to tell Gigi that throwing books, abusing a dog and destroying others' personal property was unacceptable behavior and instead tried to blame Lorelai really upset me. Possibly because I've babysat kids like Gigi before.

Chris actually said that GiGi was three, when he an Lor were arguing about her behaviour. However, I agree that the actress who played GiGi looked a little older than three.

And I thought Lorelai showed great restraint for not bitch slapping Chris right then and there when he made the comment "when you're not used to a child...". I can see Lorelai helping Chris tame GiGi in the future (and God knows he'll need the help). But, I am having a difficult time figuring out how they will tame the wild beast known a GiGi. I can't see Lorelai hitting GiGi in any way, but I think she needs a good smack on her butt. More power to Lorelai.

I should know better than to trust what the TV listing says. That said she was 4, I should have known that was wrong.

I personally thought it was rather rude of Lorelai to judge Chris’s parents skills because of her behaviour. I have a cousin who is unfortunately just as bad as GiGi and i can honestly say she is definitely not spoiled. As it has often been stated Lorelai got lucky with Rory some children are simply bad behaved for whatever reason.
And again I’m defending Chris which trust me i never do but when on the phone to Lorelai towards the end he said he knows he walked out on Rory but to me although he wasn’t there it was nothing like sherry walking out on Gigi.

See, I jsut don't buy that argument, that some kids have behaviour inherent in them. Yes, all children are different and some are certainly more strong-willed than others, but a child that cannot seem to deal with discipline or respecting other human beings (which at 3 she should be able to do) is a result of bad parenting. There is no doubt about it.

For example, GiGi drawing on the paper/floor:

At first it may be considered simply a childhood mistake--lots of kids do that. But, after Lorelai asked her not to she willingly, and spitefully, continued to do the inappropriate behaviour--and in fact it got worse.

The first instance is inherent childhood behaviour, the latter, on the other hand, is not; it is a direct result of parenting techniques, which are not good (read: bad).

aimee123, I agree that some children go through stages where they are ill-behaved. However, Lorelai not only had Gigi's actual behavior to judge, but also how Chris reacted to such behavior. It seemed obvious that Gigi was allowed to do whatever she wished, with little or no consequence befalling her. She was allowed to drop her coat on the floor, and was not made to come back and pick it up, or even have Chris raise his voice. Chris sounded as if he were pleading with Gigi to pick up her coat, and when she did not, he did it for her. When he learned (and saw the affects of) Gigi's destructive behavior, he did not seem in the least perturbed. It was the "kids will be kids" and "she's spirited". If Chris had seemed to take responsibility for his child's behavior, if it was obvious that Gigi would be disciplined for her atrocious actions, then I doubt Lorelai would have pressed the issue.

I also do not believe that Lorelai just got "lucky" with Rory. I know she says so, but I personally believe that Lorelai is a good parent, and knew to place limits on what Rory was allowed to do. Most children do not emerge from the womb well-behaved. They need to have examples set and boundries. Just because we did not see Rory need many boundries at the age of 16 does not mean that Lorelai was never stern or would have accepted and allowed for bad behavior to be prevelant at the age of 3.

I do think that Sherrie leaving Gigi and Chris leaving Rory are parallel. Chris rarely had contact with his daughter until...well, now. He has never been one for consistent visits or even consistent telephone calls. He did well for a period of time after he had met Sherrie and before Gigi was conscieved, but after he had his second child, his first child seemed even less of an importance to him. Sherrie is a bad mother to Gigi, and Chris was a crappy father for Rory.

I agree with you pet pluto22 (of course). I have always thought Lorelai was too modest in own assessment of her parenting skills. Although others (including Emily, of all people) have praised them. Lorelai gave considerable thought to how she wanted to raise her child. While love and encouragement were primary, she also put effort into devising standards and house rules. It is indeed likely that Rory was quite biddable as a child but even well-behaved children need to feel safe and know their boundaries.
I think that is why Christopher called Lorelai so quickly to apologize. Even he recognized he was dealing with an expert in her field.

Sherry left because yet again Chris was an absent father. Once again it all comes back to Chris. Seriously the guy should be banned from breeding!

I agree. And the solution will involve a dull paring knife.

Hmm...Forced sterilization. I like it.

Worked for Jackson.

I'm with dusty and petpluto regarding Lorelai's parenting skills. Lorelai may talk a lot about how lucky she was to have Rory and how easy Rory was, but that certainly does not mean that Lorelai had to do nothing to raise, nurture and teach Rory. The fact that, now that Rory is away from Lorelai's direct influence, she's gone a bit "wild" (stealing yachts, stealing husbands, etc.) shows just how strong a parent Lorelai really was. Too bad Rory actually needs constant guidance in order to be "good" because she doesn't seem to learn from her mistakes so much.

Back to topic: If we go by the last C/L discussion, Chris is finally accepting his responsibilities and accepting that he was a crappy father for leaving Rory and Lorelai. Does anyone see him take that responsibility to heart and actually be a firm father role model with GiGi? Or will he let Lorelai fix his problems for him?

Me too. I love Lorelai even more when she is in her maternal mode.

I'd like to have seen GG interact with Rory. Does GG even know who Rory is? Would she be a bit more mellow with Rory because Rory is her big sister and she's totally in awe of her? Or would she be jealous of the fact that she has to share her Daddy? And how would Rory deal with the Devil-Child?

Now that would be interesting. I'm sure Gigi is aware of who Rory is, but I doubt they've spent any, if at all, time together. I think she'd just scream and scream and destroy as she did with Lorelai. And how would Rory deal? She'd turn up her grown up voice ala Yale Editor Rory and try to restore some order, but once she realized it won't work she'll crumple up in a little ball and cry for Mommy.

Sorry, wrong forum. Ignore me.

That sent me in a fit of giggles. True though.

I don't see why Lorelai volunteered to help Chris in the future. GiGi is not Lorelai's problem. Chris is either going to take advantage of Lorelai's offer and pull a Sherry and dump GiGi on Lorelai, or, he'll use Lorelai's kindness as a way to worm his way back into her life.

I would guess Lorelai is helping out because she wants to assist Gigi, not Chris.
Gigi is Rory's half-sister and Lorelai has always encouraged a relationship between the two girls. Also, Gigi's problems did seem serious to her - it wasn't as if the child was just having a bad day -and she was genuinely concerned.
That said, I don't think she will allow Christopher to use this situation to worm his way into her affections.

I agree with dustylil. I think that Lorelai is just genuinely concerned, and now it is more about fixing Chris's past mistakes and helping Gigi become something other than a terror than it is about fixing Chris's past mistakes so that it is easier for him to control his kid.

I got chills watching this episode, which is not something people usually say about Gilmore Girls. But Gigi was exactly like a girl I used to babysit. She used to scream like that at the tiniest little thing. I could not handle her. The very last time I babysat her, she actually made me cry (didn't let her see me, though).


That's how the girl's mom described her daughter the first time I talked to her. "She's spirited." Um, no. She's the devil-child.

Actually, while I think Lorelai is a terrific parent, I was slightly disappointed in her response to Gigi. When a child is misbehaving and screaming, offering a caramel apple to shut her up is not the ideal solution. A child that age can easily be picked up, placed in a quiet room, and left on her own. Trust me, I have dealt with plenty of bratty 3-year-olds, and not one of them could scream non-stop for more than two or three minutes.

Giving her candy is probably exactly what Christopher would have done in that situation, and was just reinforcing bad habits.

I quite agree with your solution tinagel but there is no quiet room in Lorelai's home where Gigi could have been placed. Rory's room was -reasonably so-off limits and the rest of the house both upstairs and downstairs is quite open plan.

If Lorelai had any expectation of caring for Gigi on a regular basis then bribing her with a caramel apple was certainly not appropriate but she was looking for a quick fix in an impossible situation.

Since this show has dropped storylines in the past, I really hope they drop this one. I guess I wouldn't really mind Lorelai helping out Chris here and there, as long as it doesn't affect things with her and Luke. But I want this dropped because Gigi annoyed me and I'm not sure how much of her I could possibly take. I'd rather see other characters (like Babette, Kirk, or even Taylor) get the screentime. Not Gigi.

Just a little. Honestly? I wouldn't be surprised if that girl was six or seven. She looks like kids in my neighborhood who are of that age.

She looks bigger than many of the kindergarteners at work. Definately nowhere near three.



My mom did this when my dad left. He left when I was five with no contact after that. She always made sure that I was in the best of the best clothes (even bought me a little white fur coat) and had all the latest toys because she didn't want my aunts/uncles/dad to see me as anything but perfect and wonderful. I could still see the hurt in my dad's eyes when I finally saw him again at my hs grad. I was the valedictorian and he just started crying and told me my mom did well.

As someone who was always the tallest kid in her elementary school class, I don't think that Gigi doesn't look "too big" for her age. Maybe she's just a tall three. Or casting needs to do a better job. One or the other.

I don't think it has to do with size. She just looks older. I'm not sure why, but she just does in my opinion.

Maybe part of it is her hair? It seems awfully long for a three year old, unless Chris has never had her hair cut. Of course, that's entirely likely.

I never realized that GiGi had Sherri's last name.

shootingstars, actually that makes some sense. Sherry and Christopher weren't married when Gigi was born (why of course is unclear). It is not unusual for the child in that situation to take the mother's name - as Rory did.
Presumably after Christopher and Sherry were married, the child became a Hayden.
It is amazing how much this fellow from a high falutin' Hartford family behaves like a guest on the Maury Povich Show.

Do we know for sure that GiGi now has Hayden as her last name? It's not that uncommon for a child (even one of married parents) to take the mother's last name, since there is no law that stipulates who's name a child takes..

Murphy 987, I don't think we know for sure. But given Sherry's decamping for Paris and leaving the child behind, it seems reasonable to assume Christopher would ensure the child had his name. Certainly it would make things easier and less confusing if father and daughter had the same surname.

I don't think it makes it anymore difficult if they have different names. Lots of families have kids and parents with different last names. It's pretty common now. Plus, in my opinion, it's much more confusing and difficult to change a child's last name and then explain it to them. Plus, Christopher wasn't that close to his family, so I don't see passin on his name being a big deal to him.

Just my opinion, YMMV.

Oh, I totally understand it. I just never thought about it. If someone had asked me Gigi's name, I would probably have said Hayden.

But Gigi was only ?2? when Sherry left, much too young to become attached to any one last name. If Chris changed it to Hayden then, Gigi would not need the explanation until she was older and looked at her birth certificate, and at that time, it would be easy to simply tell Gigi that Sherry and Chris had not been married at the time of her birth.

I hope Gigi first asks why her mother took off to Paris without her. I'm guessing Chris' teflon defense in regards to his absent Dad routine will stand up then as well and Sherry will cop the blame.

I'm pretty sure the "S. Tinsdale" is for Sherry Tinsdale, as in the mother's name. I don't think it's Gigi's last name.

All the 2 year-olds I know, know their full name. I just find it hard to fathom that someone would sit little GiGi down and tell her that her name is no longer Tinsdale, it's now Hayden. The inevitable follow-up would be "Why?". I don't think it would be that easy to say, "because mommy left and is never coming back." Again, just my opinion. I think changing a child's name is much more difficult (both from a practical as well as emotional) perspective than having a last name that is different from her father's.

I know people who had their last names changed as children... and they are (and always have been) emotionally ok with it.

I also think this topic is non-sense because S. Tinsdale to me indicated that it was the line for MOTHER'S name. Maybe that hospital doesn't put last names on the baskets... just who the baby belongs to.

GOSH!

I'm pretty sure that the "S. Tinsdale" referred solely to Sherry, not GiGi. About 25 years ago, we all would have probable assumed that both had the same last name, but I doubt that GiGi ever took Tinsdale as hers. Since Sherry and Chris were engaged when GiGi was born, and were planning to get married, I think she would have been a Hayden.

ETA: If you look close and have really good eyes, you can see that the label for that line says "mother" and not "last name"

I think it is poetic justice that he's been left to raise Gigi alone, however, because it is a horrible thing to do to a child (even in tv land) I find it offensive that ASP went this route to make it possible for Chris to enter (and help destroy) Lorelai's life yet again. Deadbeat moms are worse than deadbeat dads. I had a friend whose mom left her. It is terrible and the child never recovers from it. Amy should have had Sherry die so that it wouldn't have been rejection of the child. JMHO


Yep, and also 3-year-olds don't suddenly stop being brats just because you tell them no once. That conversation later when Lorelai asks about Gigi and Chris says something like "hear that? Gigi's playing by herself in her room." Right! Amy obviously has no hands on experience with little kids. I hate that suddenly Gigi is perfect for Chris and Lorelai believes him. Why doesn't Lorelai ask Chris why he can jump at the drop of a hat for her (the wedding, visiting Rory at Yale, a FND (didn't he hate those?) to name a few times)? Even if you have a nanny, ususally the parent has to be responsible some of the time (unless you have 3 on staff to cover 3 shifts of 8 hours each).

When did they get married? I assumed they never did, because after Sherry left, Christopher never talked of getting a divorce or anything like that.

In one of the season six episodes (after the Prodigal D. Returns) Lorelai said something about C-word and "his wife" to Rory.

Hey, today is a very very special day for Gigi : ).

Heh, C-Word. Gives me Arrested Development flashbacks.

While on closer inspection, it does look like the "Tinsdale" is the mother's name and that GiGi's last name is not specified. I just don't understand why it's presumed GiGi took Chris's name just because (or even if) they got married. Many children have their mother's last names, even when the parents are married.

Sorry, feminist rant over.

Anyone else find it funny that there are this many pages dedicated to Dami--I mean Gigi? Maybe once the thread gets so many posts, she gets to rule the world, a la River Run's fic.

I am not usually one to advocate beating your children, or anyone else's, but if she had acted out the way she did for Lorelai at my house, I would have had to leave or there would have been a smackdown. And don't worry, I don't have any children. ;)

So now GiGi (who is 3 by my math - but looking very mature and verbal for her age) will be sleeping in Rory's room.

RORY'S ROOM!! She's going to suck that baby right into the tenth level of hell...that is if she ever returns from France (which really is a good place for her).