Free Grandma

[Lily]

I'm sure we've discussed it before, but is Grandma looking drastically worse and more unhappy these days to anyone else?

She's always seemed a little lost ever since her husband died, understandable of course, but now that she's living with Dim Bulb and J'Chelle, she has looked more and more unhappy. It broke my heart in one of the latest at-home episodes we saw her in, she was just kind of wandering around the living room and kitchen, glazed look in her eyes, while the howler monkeys created chaos all around her.

What kind of life is that for a 70-something year old grandmother!?

She seems like a genuinely sweet person who obviously loves her grandkids, but dayum. She's already raised her kids, I suspect from their close relationship she had a big hand in raising Amy too. Now she has to be the live in nanny and raise the kids that Boob and J'Chelle won't?

I know it's nothing for Boob to abuse his own spawn and make them raise his 10 youngest penis trophies, but it's low, even for him, to make his vulnerable widowed mother be a parent all over again.

[PBrooke]

She's a grown-assed woman who created Jim Bob. I don't see her encouraging the girls or anything; if anything, she's molded to the ati way more and more. Meh.

[kunoichi66]

As an aside, my new favourite phrase is 'penis trophies' :mrgreen:

[stabbycat]

I'm sure she could leave if she wanted to, but at that age she probably doesn't want to be alone. I have no doubts that Boob would cut her off if she said anything negative about what he does.

[FloraDoraDolly]

When I watch Grandma, I see a woman who is working hard because she wants to lighten the load for her granddaughters. She seems to be especially close to Jessa and Jinger.

[deelaem]

I think Grandma is the source for the family's transition into fundamentalism. I think she's the one that influenced Boob. After all, she and Boob are fundies, but Grandpa wasn't and neither is the sister. I think she's right where she wants to be, and is "enjoying" life as a martyr.

[meow139]

Poor woman, but I think that even if she is trying to lighten the J slaves workload, in the end there will only be more. She is getting older and with 10 kids under the age of 13 in that house, I can see a heart attack any day now. And by the way Boob and Michelle raisse their kids, I sure think that poor grandma is going to go the same way- onto poor Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger.

[leena_noor]

Have you seen the episode where Jim Bob's dad basically told the camera that he didn't agree with them having all 'those kids'?

She does look...sad. She was annoyed they were asking her why she was taking tuna. I'm pretty sure it was to feed her (not the little hoardes).

[bananacat]

Grandma definitely did not look happy when Michelle announced her latest pregnancy. But I don't think she will ever leave because she knows she would never see her grandkids again. I don't really know how fundie she is. She owns real estate and I think she owns the rental that Smuggar is living in. She never seemed nearly as fundie as JimBob. To me she just seems pragmatic.

But I am curious about where she sleeps. I thought their house had only a giant room for girls, a giant room for boys, and a regular-sized room for the parents to make more babies. Are there more bedrooms somewhere?

[marmalade]

I'm not sure where Grandma sleeps anymore. They had the "goodbye" room, which seemed to originally function as a mudroom of sorts, and when Grandpa got too sick for Grandma to care for alone, they moved into that room. However, on recent episodes, you can see people trekking through and there is a treadmill in there (and now an elliptical, I guess, unless they sold the former).

Does that mean she sleeps in the same room as Mullet's exercise equipment? Not that it makes much of a difference; she's probably up doing laundry before anyone else is awake, leaving the Mullet free to work out before she has her morning shower (or bath). No worries there either since the J'Slaves are bathing, dressing, feeding and "educating" the howlers.

[usedtobenice]

I think Mary is on benzoes. i.e. xanax, valium etc.. I take them. also. She smiles, but her eyes are flat, no emotion.

[haveapicniclife]

Here's their floor plan: http://www.kodiaksteelhomes.com/images/ ... orPlan.pdf

They actually have two small rooms downstairs with doors/closet space. Grandma has the room with adjoining bath off the laundry room, labeled as the "guest suite". It sucks that it's off the laundry room but it's probably also fairly private and quiet back there (all that white noise from the washers and dryers running).

Just going off appearances, I do feel badly for her. Whether she wants to be there or not, it seems like she's lost her spark.

Interesting that Jim Bob's office gets a closet. It was obviously added on purpose, I wonder why he gets a closet and no one else does?

[pixydust]

I bet that the closet in JB's office is the prayer closet.

[moreorlessnu]

Amy posted a picture of her and Grandma on Facebook. Grandma looks genuinely lighthearted and happy when she's with Amy.

[Justme]

eeewwwhhhhh!! They have side by side toilets in the bathroom off the playroom. :o

[Kitty]

I've always wondered if that floorplan was slightly off.

[gustava]

eeewwwhhhhh!! They have side by side toilets in the bathroom off the playroom. :o

Makes sense if you have a gazillion kids needing to pee.

[Mythicwings]

Grandma has the room with adjoining bath off the laundry room, labeled as the "guest suite".

Not that this means anything, but that sounds like Alice's room on The Brady Bunch :lol:

Man that whole prayer closet thing is so friggen creepy!!! When we were looking for a house a few years ago, we looked at a house that we knew right away we didn't want, as soon as we drove up - it gacve off a scary air. But thee two guys were standing in front of it, one in what looked like some kind of religious garb. I got the idea that the house had been remodeled on the inside for some kind of youth ministry. There was a small non-walk-in closet that had a write-on board inside where someone had written "Help me Jesus". That freaked me out, man! I had to restrain myself from just fleeing after that! :lol:

[Feberin]

Makes sense if you have a gazillion kids needing to pee.

I believe they are a child size toliet and a regular one. Makes sense with so many small children.

I don't think Grandma is fundie. At most she's fundie lite. I heard that she was never very good with money and my guess is that her real estate holdings are enough to cover the expenses of her own place, food and such. So she's stuck with Jimbob supporting her. I think the best episodes to show the "real" grandma are before Grandpa died. Back then she wore pants and in an episode where they talked about Nike I remember her seeming really uncomfortable with it as she tried to explain it without putting her son down. I think Jimbob requires her to keep sweet and say the party lines now that she's living with him.

[gustava]

I believe they are a child size toliet and a regular one. Makes sense with so many small children.

I don't think Grandma is fundie. At most she's fundie lite. I heard that she was never very good with money and my guess is that her real estate holdings are enough to cover the expenses of her own place, food and such. So she's stuck with Jimbob supporting her. I think the best episodes to show the "real" grandma are before Grandpa died. Back then she wore pants and in an episode where they talked about Nike I remember her seeming really uncomfortable with it as she tried to explain it without putting her son down. I think Jimbob requires her to keep sweet and say the party lines now that she's living with him.

According to the tax rolls, she owns five pieces of property assessed at $163,000 for tax purposes but appraised much higher. That might not be a fortune, but with ebil social security and medicare, she should be ekeing by without having to keep sweet.

[Lily]

Yeah, I don't think Grandma is fundie. Maybe fundie lite, but more likely just "mainstream" conservative Christian. In earlier episodes she was wearing pants, and after Grandpa died she did live on her own for a time, IIRC. She also didn't seem to isolate Deanna for being a single mother, and as we've established, she's very close with Amy who is definitely not fundie. Grandpa didn't seem fundie either.

I think she's towing the line because she knows if she expressed disagreement, Boob would kick her out on her ass as soon as the show ends, and she'd never see her grandchildren again.

[Patsy]

Prayer closet: I'm sure I saw one near the parents' room and the girls' room in photos on the family website, years ago. Edit: Yep, it's in the floor plan haveapicniclife linked.

On gross toilets: They have one directly off the dining room. Like, the door opens, and someone sitting at the table can see in, and I'm sorry but that is just gross. Couldn't they tuck it behind JB's office? It'd still be in that area of the house but not opening directly onto the dining area.

[bananacat]

I looked at the floorplan because I just have a weird fascination with floorplans in general. Seriously, I started watching a show on HGTV just because they have a small segment where they show a floorplan. But I could not see any door into the master bedroom. It also sucks that the boys room gets a studio, and the girls get a sewing room. They don't even have access from the hallway so there's basically no way that a boy could be interested in sewing or a girl could do A/V stuff. I wonder where they have their SOS computers though? Is it in one of the lofts? The guest bedroom through the laundry room kinda sucks too. When it's not just grandma and they have actual guests, it seems weird to make them go through the laundry room to get there. I guess it's good that it's more private though.

[xDreamerx]

I noticed the boys room is quite a bit larger than the girls. They had less girls when building but you'd think they would have factored future daughters into the planning. Does anyone know what the "Mechanical Room" is?

[apple1]

Does anyone know what the "Mechanical Room" is?

A place for the furnace, water heater, etc??