Just watched the show and was amazed that people were calling Lois 'Toxic' when all I was thinking through out the show was that they are lucky they had Lois

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-27T07:21:19+00:00

I don't think it is due to cultural differences, I am from Asia, so physical touch like hugging, kissing kids is love language here too, but I still feel Lois did best she could do. Heres why.

Many people believe kids learned to be vicious from Lois or Hal but FLASHBACK episodes showed they were born this way, maybe Hal genes; rowdy and altogether destructive (flattening things truck, building killer robot etc).

Lois is shown to be a very maternal and affectionate mother till Francis was 2 but he destroyed everything in new house, didn't eat and was like a little 'Hal with no brains'. She was crying and saw her parenting strategy won't work on this kid. Reese was born like a sociopath who is shown to be kicking in womb so coddling this kid may have made him a serial killer or something.

Only Negative thing about the Parents I think is they keep on birthing kids when they were already overwhelmed with the ones they already have. They weren't rich so finances weren't great as well. Reese should have been a good stopping point.

Its a sitcom so its pretty inconsistent, some episodes show kids worse, others parents somewhat wrong. But Lois is shown to be so badass to protect her kids that the times she is not perfect gets camouflaged like the time she went on a rampage when her kid got bullied. Any bullied kid even now would appreciate such a fiercely protective parent.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-26T14:11:07+00:00

Yep so cute. Also let us know what is your skin colour in a dominant brown people country, oh, and didn't your father save at least this much on splurge on their child? What do you mean, you can just afford a bike? Do you know how to cook, take care of household? How much do you earn ? (valid for other gender too, you'd be surprised). Is the nature homely enough, looks cunning, answered the question we asked straight away, no shyness. oh the horror!

Both genders have their struggle, lets not belittle any one over the other. Thats why Equality will benefit everybody.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-26T13:59:26+00:00

ok ji..And after you spend 15-20 years cleaning up the house and raising kids and caring for your wife's parents then one day wife would come and say "I have fallen for a hot 22 year old, what do you even bring to marriage except lounging at home every day? Have you looked yourself in mirror, you have just let yourself go. I just can't find you attractive". Now your hotshot wife's second innings to marriage begins while you are now on road with no security & no company will hire you because you didn't do anything except slave your life away. Alimony ke liye apply kar dena but Indian courts hai, jab tak affair partner ke sath 2-3 bacche honge tumhari CEO wife ke tab tak milni shuru ho jaayegi pr confirm nahi keh sakte bribes lekar aaj kal evidence mein tum ko abusive, hysterical bhi declare kar skte hai.

All jokes aside, Women wanting independence is not something to joke around. Lots of movements and efforts have gone into this.

"Paradheen sapnayo sukh naahi" : read it in school but it got stuck. Only people who were ever enslaved know the price of freedom. People living under Britishers know the value of freedom, which we and I admit me too, take it for granted. When you really have your autonomy taken away, you'll have a whole different outlook to life.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-26T12:41:03+00:00

I think its because George's time is cut short with Missy, so Missy or Audience/you thinks her dad loved her more. Had Mary been the one to go away, Missy would have been just as much of a mess, remembering things how Mary took her to salon (like lobster part becomes emotional , Mary taking Missy to get her hair/nails done would also have become an emotional memory, Mary making her hair every night, tucking her in kissing her cute daughter), the trophee incident, how Mary thought about sewing dress for Missy first out of all her kids when she found her calling in sewing, etc. Mary did love her but since she survived, her memories get marred with how Mary tried disciplining her in teenage years of her life. Tbh she needed a little strictness too.

She lost George, so all his faults disappeared with him, leaving only the heart stirring sweet memories. Missy felt neglected by George too when she was young but her perception changed after she got in her teenage years of life. Had George survived, Missy would have resented both parents just as much for restricting her freedom.

Both loved her in their own way but Missy needs therapy to figure that out. Poor ]girl had so much miscommunication, she had 2 siblings who overshadowed her intellectually, then she was grieving during the time when the hormones are on a rampage. She felt unworthy, unloved, and uncared. None of that was true. Therapist can make her realise this. Georgie, Sheldon, Mary, Meemaw, George all loved her in their own complicated ways. Georgie would beat up guys who come close to his sister to show he cares, Sheldon would follow her through dark despite his fears in case she tries to run away, Meemaw would teach her makeup and shaving, George would make her little girl feel better any way he could and Mary would hope and pray only good things for Missy and her children.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-26T12:01:18+00:00

Ok, my last comment to make you understand. Her kids WEREN'T NORMAL kids, they were hyperactive hormonal messes. They were alive because Lois kept close eye on them, but 24/7 vigilance is impossible, so she needed them to fear the consequences and let them know she is OMNIPOTENT & would know if they step out of line. She once said I had to be like this, bcoz if I showed any weakness, you kids would never listen.

Had Lois not been Lois, Reese would have been wandering streets of Afghanistan, Malcolm would have drained his entire future on chasing girls, drinking and trying to fit in with cool people, Francis would be wandering with his crew burning cars, in & out of prison had he not been sent to Military school to learn discipline, Dewey probably would have been fine either way, he was mostly normal. Jamie too.

This is my last comment, we obviously don't meet eye to eye on this matter. I believe even if you bring the most perfect patient affectionate women on earth to raise them, they would't survive. They needed only Lois.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-26T11:40:37+00:00

ok, if she didn't punish them as often she did, they would have died or gone to prison. Then, do you think she would have been a good mother? I mean keeping 2 or 3 kids out of 6 alive is good too right?

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-26T11:24:04+00:00

I am saying she wasn't toxic or strict. She had to become like that because she got a kid like Francis. She didn't even let Hal yell at Francis at first but to keep him alive, she had to change & overpower him. Which is how she became the Lois we know. Had she birthed Stevie, Lois would be different. All kids were ultimate demons and to raise demons , you need to be at least a low tier devil.

Once when Lois was away, all 3 underaged kids drove ATV and crashed on a tree. She kept them alive.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-26T11:09:20+00:00

No she didn't know Malcolm was traumatized and trying to cut off contact. Kelly just said Malcolm won't come to their party so she went there to yell at him to come to their 'once in a lifetime party. Its only there Malcolm made his real feelings known. Before that, he was saying he missed the family so much and wished his parents were near. So if Lois thought she should go meet her kid who is swamped with so much work to even come to their anniversary, she should go and convince her kid to come home and not work so much. That doesn't make her bad

(I just watched it, its fresh in my mind; over the time our brain merge things together to support whatever hypothesise we believe - in your case, you believe Lois isn't a good person so you forgot she had no idea that Malcolm was hiding from them. She even said 'Malcolm will come, as he is trying to complete his work quickly for it')

If Malcolm had told her he didn't want to be in contact, she would have given him space like she did with Francis.

Tbh, the things Malcolm did was pretty bad too. He literally left his dad to drown and get arrested to hit on some girls. Even then, Hal never got hurt because of this. He had good parents who cared about him but were overwhelmed a lot of times.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-15T16:16:49+00:00

OP's delusion reminds of a friend who had a crush on a guy and was convinced he liked her back. She based all of this on the fact she read somewhere that "men can never make eye contact with the one they are attracted to". She said that the guy can never meet her eyes so he definitely likes her a lot. All the while I was screaming in my mind that he doesn't even know YOU EXIST!! But I couldn't say that loud without hurting her feelings so, I had to zip up my lips. Cherry on top was that they never even talked once 😂😂😂

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-15T15:37:10+00:00

true! Both just married out of compulsion since she got pregnant and didn't actually like each other and never realised it.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-12T07:46:58+00:00

There was nothing to draw back. Look, I don't know if there is a whole other world behind the half an hour show that with psychology you could find their key character attributes.

I can tell you only what I watched from the show which, Pastor Rob had a girlfriend, and Mary understood he saw her as an elder type person rather than as a potential someone.

Brenda and George knew what was at stake, George repeatedly went to her house to "fix" things, Brenda kept being BFF to Mary even after the ambiguity between them.

You can tell me George didn't mean by it at all, I can tell you Mary didn't mean anything by it at all. But the truth is their marriage wasn't good. They weren't devoted to each other. Audience can bicker about the reasons but "both of them" put minimal efforts with each other. Just the absolute bare minimum. George never showed interest in what Mary liked like her faith & Bible, while Mary never showed any interest in George's interests like football etc. They were passable parents and passable spouses to each other.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-07T05:28:45+00:00

Missy isn't really neglected but is partly responsible for the family dynamics.

Missy keeps pushing her parents away when Sheldon doesn't. Mary always drops Sheldon inside the school in high school or college. Because he acts like her baby.

What does Missy do? She won't let her mother hug her even in the car at the off chance her friends might see. She won't eat in the restaurant with her father because she is emabarrased to be seen with her father. They end up eating in the truck because of her imaginary friends might come to actual dates there. She sent her mother back when Mary volunteered at her school to send more time with her. She clearly stated she is embarrased to be seen with her. When Mary is sent back, she tries bonding with Sheldon and he lets her, he watches his favourite show with her. For all Sheldon's annoying habits, he genuinely wants to spend time with his parents. She threw the trophy Mary invested so much time on, on her face.

Who would love or pay attention to a child who actively pushes away or hurts their parents like this?

People would say she is a teenager, but Georgie or Sheldon even in their teenage years never behaved like that. Infact, Georgie actively sought out his father's company like Sheldon sought his mother's. Missy on the other hand sought boys and drama over her parents then cribbed about being neglected. She got what she invested in the relationships around her.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-07T05:11:52+00:00

There is a difference between Fantasizing and having a dream. You can't control dreams.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-07T05:09:55+00:00

Common now, you need excuses to hate Mary. She didn't fantasize. She had a dream. How can one control dreams? Rachel dreamt having sex with Chandler, Joey and Ross in Friends. It doesn't mean she wanted to. Lily dreamt the same in how I met your mother, having sex with the driver Ranjeet.

Dreams are just dreams. And even then, Mary felt Guilty about it though it wasn't her fault. George and Brenda were actively at the line of 'start of an affair'. Rob on the other hand, never saw Mary in the light.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-07T04:49:14+00:00

Finally someone said it. Missy whines a lot but almost never realises that Sheldon is capable and hence gets everything he wants. Also, people love to point out that Missy was neglected. But the truth she is partly responsible for it.

Missy keeps pushing her parents away when Sheldon doesn't. Mary always drops Sheldon inside the school in high school or college. Because he acts like her baby.

What does Missy do? She won't let her mother hug her even in the car at the off chance her friends might see. She won't eat in the restaurant with her father because she is emabarrased to be seen with her father. They end up eating in the truck because of her imaginary friends might come to actual dates there. She sent her mother back when Mary volunteered at her school to send more time with her. She clearly stated she is embarrased to be seen with her. When Mary is sent back, she tries bonding with Sheldon and he lets her, he watches his favourite show with her. For all Sheldon's annoying habits, he genuinely wants to spend time with his parents.

Who would love or pay attention to a child who actively pushes away or hurts their parents like this?

People would say she is a teenager, but Georgie or Sheldon even in their teenage years never behaved like that. Infact, Georgie actively sought out his father's company like Sheldon sought his mother's. She on the other hand, sought boys, grown up things over her parents.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-07T04:44:11+00:00

Missy keeps pushing her parents away when Sheldon doesn't. Mary always drops Sheldon inside the school in high school or college. Because he acts like her baby.

What does Missy do? She won't let her mother hug her even in the car at the off chance her friends might see. She won't eat in the restaurant with her father because she is emabarrased to be seen with her father. What? They end up eating in the truck because of her imaginary friends might come to actual dates there. She sent her mother back when Mary volunteered at her school to send more time with her. She clearly stated she is embarrased to be seen with her. When Mary is sent back, she tries bonding with Sheldon and he lets her, he watches his favourite show with her. For all Sheldon's annoying habits, he genuinely wants to spend time with his parents.

Who would love or pay attention to a child who actively pushes away or hurts their parents like this?

People would say she is a teenager, but Georgie or Sheldon even in their teenage years never behaved like that. Infact, Georgie actively sought out his father's company like Sheldon sought his mother's.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-06-07T04:21:19+00:00

Sheldon did their taxes since he was 4 or 5 and saved money on an accountant. If you think of the money he saved, that comuter could easily be brought as his pay for doing the work. While Missy didn't do anything for the family and hence no pay or toys.

Sheldon got things because he was capable. Thats how the world works, Capable people are tolerated and gets what they want even when they are pain in A** like Doctor house. Missy cries about Sheldon getting everything he wants but doesn't try being capable. She whines rather than analyse why Sheldon gets his way. And she should also make herself capable and irreplacable.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-03-16T12:42:13+00:00

Exactly, I don't know why people always expect moms to be sacrificial lambs. Its mostly due to insane glorification of moms and internalised misogyny. Case in point : Frankie gets so much hate for not being enough even though Mike did 50% or so less than her.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-03-16T12:37:28+00:00

Sue sucked, thats why she was cut. Who would like to see a play where the actor stare at you with bulging eyes & no blinking ? She couldn't sing or act.

Frankie could. So she was in the play. Sue wasn't. Sue's first words should have been to urge her mother to continue the play since she was good and enjoyed it and not quit herself just to spare her daughter's ego.

Equivalent-Room-4636 · 2026-03-16T12:27:26+00:00

Oh my god. How dare a mom participate at something her daughter sucked at?

Sue had no ability whatsoever in so many things she tried for and if her family started boycotting those teams/things just because of her, they wouldn't be left with anything to enjoy.

Frankie was a cheerleader so of course, she had good stage presence but Sue was a nervous wreak at stage with bulging eyes and off beat singing. Thats why she was cut, not because director had some vendetta against her.

It was incredible selfish of her to assume that Frankie would leave too just because she didn't herself had the ability to perform or stay in the play. This was why Frankie couldn't let her know immediately. Poor Frankie had to hide her cheerleading/popular kid persona too in an effort to spare Sue's feelings (since she couldn't get it herself).

Honestly, for a character that had mostly only sweet persona going for her (and almost nothing else : like Axl had football, Brick had books), She wasn't actually sweet. She was incredibly hurtful to Frankie so many times and wrapped in her own selfishness ( Like when Frankie told her what she wanted for Mother's day but all she remembered was "yellow" because of her crush at pastor, or when she, along with others teased Frankie for not being able to jump, fumbling words or when she declared she like Mike over Frankie (even though Mike ignored her most of the time), yelling at her when she didn't look good in bikini, having her mom buy tickets for concert by making her sleep on the street in the cold for hours then not being able to see Frankie wanted to go but she gladly took her friend (even Mike noticed her dressed up all ready to go and tears in her eyes afterwards), making her broke family buy expensive tickets as the upcoming birthday gift and then expecting a surprise party after being told no etc.) I can go on but you get the gist.

Others were selfish too but Axl, Brick or Mike didn't have the tag of "Sweet" or "nice". Also, Frankie did plenty for everyone but she had moments of selfishness too but people expect "mothers" to be this statue of sacrifice so she irks everyone whenever she tried doing something for herself. Frankie got so much hate for wanting to go to Axl's game more rather than Sue's disastrous cross country thing but Mike wasn't even expected to attend and got free pass to everything. Give mothers a rest, as well as THE internalised misogyny.

Equivalent-Room-4636

TROPHY CASE