I don't read it as mothers attacking mothers.
If we swapped over the genders involved:
Chris goes away for a weekend with his parents/siblings. Comes home and arses about for a few days, goes to the gym, the barbers. Doesn't appear to be doing any work. Thinks he's being helpful making some spal bol and soup for when he's away to appease a probably pissed off spouse. Then heads off for a work piss up abroad leaving Grace at home sick and her trying to keep the show on the road.
This !! And as someone mentioned above about his grandmother , if it was him that he went to 2 separate non essential events on the night Graces grandmother died and the following night of the wake, leaving her on her own to grieve and mind the kids while he partied . One of the "events" being an overnight in a penthouse where they sat drinking watching a movie . We would be calling him a selfish unsupportive p***k if he did that.