Role Reversal in "The Country of the Pointed Firs"?

In "The Country of the Pointed Firs," there is a puzzling example of role reversal between Mrs. Todd and her mother Mrs. Blackett. On page 87, when Mrs. Blackett comes to visit Mrs. Todd, the narrator explains, "She [Mrs. Blackett] dropped a quick little curtsey before Mrs. Todd" (Jewett 87). The story continues when Mrs. Todd comments on this gesture that seems out of place. "There, mother, what a girl you be! I am so pleased!..." (87). Mrs. Todd continues on about how she worried about her on her trip (87). This scene epitomizes a mother-daughter relationship, but not in the way that it is told here. If one did not know that Mrs. Blackett is Mrs. Todd's mother, a reader who did not know would say otherwise from the way that Mrs. Todd treats her mother. She is very caring, but even more important to this unconventional scene is that Mrs. Blackett acts like a child here and treats her daughter as a mother, knowing that she will get attention for her antics. I found this interesting considering how these women fall into, or do not fall into the category of "New Woman" based on this relationship.