I guess this is not supposed to redeem the mom, but at least give the reader some sympathy for her. Idk tho, her actions and attitude up until now have been really, really awful. Only if she completely turned a new leaf would she be redeemable. I think that working hard to overcome your bad nature is somewhat more commendable than having a good nature to begin with, but in the mom's case, it just seems like she's too far gone, and will continue to be miserable and hate herself while lengthening the list of regrets she's had in her life.