Then, on Mother's Day, one of the competing mother-daughter teams (ultra-competitive Bobbi Jo and Betty Jo), deems Fran and Grace ineligible for the pageant since Fran isn't Grace's mother, and Grace storms out stating she has no mother. Grace wants to enter it with Fran, which Maxwell doesn't think is a good idea, believing that she'll ultimately grieve Sara's loss again, but he gives in to her wish. Scoping it out, Maxwell, Fran, and Grace learn that it's having Mother's-Day festivities, including a mother-daughter pageant.
This year, Maxwell and the family have joined a new country club. But Fran thinks talking to the kids about their mother. Mother's Day is approaching and, as usual, Maxwell is trying to preoccupy the children so that they won't think about their mother, Sara.
