me_irl

I get that. As an adult I can better understand the context surrounding Lois and why she is as she is. Her parents were absolutely the worst. Her mother, Ida, was a monster, in fact I think Lois could've felt right at home in a "Raised by Narcissists" community. She was always compared to her "Golden Child" sister, Susan, and her mother's flighty attachments to her kids and grandkids is seen in some episodes. In one episode, Ida goes to visit Lois after having some petty fight with Susan and declared that she was no longer her favorite. In another, it's revealed that Ida hates Francis because when he was put on the phone as a toddler, he called his grandmother "poopy."

It's honestly amazing that Lois was able to grow up with her self-confidence and desire for "doing the right thing" intact. Her parents sucked and she somehow came out of it all still trying her best. She never had a role model for what being a good parent looked like, and though I agree she's gone overboard when it comes to handling her kids, at least she's trying to break the cycle of neglect and abuse she came from. She's far from the best mother, but with acknowledging all the circumstances around her, I can at least see where she's coming from.