Lily Aldrin

Lily Aldrin

232
    How I Met Your Mother
Photo Credit: Everett Collection

Character Analysis

(Avoiding Spoilers)

Grew Up… in Brooklyn with her stay-at-home dad and her feminist mom. Her ne’er-do-well father was constantly attempting to create the next big board game and her mother was always working at her two jobs, so Lily was often neglected as a child. This caused her to deeply resent her parents, which manifested itself into the Goth persona she assumed in high school. She bullied her boyfriend Scooter into dating her, terrorized her neighborhood, and was a quintessential teenage badass.

Living… in “The Apartment” with her fiancé Marshall and one of her best friends, Ted. Though Lily had a place of her own, it was decided she would move in with Marshall and Ted after the engagement, since she essentially had been living with the duo since their freshman year of college.

Profession… kindergarten teacher to an often-unruly group of children. Though Lily generally likes her job, she is occasionally brought very close to her breaking point because of how wild her kids can be. Sometimes she has to take breaks to call Marshall to vent her frustrations and will often return to her classroom only to find that her kids have destroyed it completely.

Interests… shopping, art, snooping, high-fiving Marshall, and drinking with the gang (which includes Robin Scherbatsky and Barney Stinson). Though Lily loves teaching, her first passion was her college major: Art. She still paints, and when she’s especially frustrated with her life as a teacher, she daydreams about pursuing a career in art.

Relationship Status… engaged to Marshall. The pair met during their freshman year at Wesleyan, after Lily was “drawn to his room,” knocked on his door, and asked if he would help set up her stereo. They have been together ever since. As a couple they are inseparable, though they often have conflicting opinions on issues. When they do agree, they act like a couple of bros, high-fiving and chest-bumping. 

Challenge… learning to handle not always getting her way. Perhaps in part because she deals with 5-year-olds all day, Lily often treats other adults like kids, acting as both judge and jury. (She calls it “Aldrin Justice.”) She’ll dole out these punishments even if it involves breaking the law. At one point she steals from Ted’s boss, who she feels was too harsh on him, in order to teach him a lesson in kindness. Sometimes, Lily just needs to chill.

Personality… extremely loyal and caring, but with a lot of quirks. Though she may seem small and innocent, Lily is incapable of keeping a secret (“Don’t tell me things!”), loves to gossip, has a secret shopping addiction, is always snooping into other people’s business, and is a self-proclaimed “extremely sexual person.” She loves to meddle in Ted’s romantic life, sometimes even secretly orchestrating his break-ups with women she doesn’t like. 

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