I did not make that comparison, nor did I consider it, that's your doing.
I'm talking about mothers... strike that, parents... wanting to help their kids get the things they want, especially later in life. Maybe because they have come to realize it's the kids that will pick the nursing home.
The situation between your grandmother and her daughter, is common, and I'll wager they both know what they are doing. If grandma, just handed the money as a gift, she would feel obligated to do the same for all her children. But parents find their children can be very different people, some are independent, some are needy.
But the bottom line is mother/daughter, parent/offspring relationships are complicated... and for the most part, their own business.