Exactly, I'm not sure what they tried to imply with this example this chapter. Kiyo isn't a Maiko and will never become one, the only reason she's sticking around is because of her childhood friend. I know the story is how it is but really they should let the girl move on to greener pasture at least at some point.
The point is that mother worries too much about future of her maiko and even ex-maiko like they are her own daughters, while she should take Kiyo's example and just go with the flow, trusting that the best will happen. Because both mother of the manor and Kiyo are mothers to these girls.
I must ask, what green pastures? As cute as Kiyo is, the harsh truth is that she is too dense for most things, and would not fare well in job market. I don't want to imagine her as Momohana's personal servant for the rest of her life, that's kind of cruel, and she is too dreamy and impulsive for the structured enviroment of a restaurant. Kiyo simply functions the best as the mother that cooks in the manor.