Now, she keeps them by her bedside on some low shelves and has a pillow there where she kneels and prays every evening, do you in all honesty think she is bowing down before graven images and if not, why not? I don't see the difference in her remembering various Bible stories by looking at her collection and someone else recalling various Bible stories by kneeling in front of a much better likeness of a Saint, of Mary, or of Jesus. She finds those little things a comfort that help here get in a reverent frame of mind, that's what she says about them.
How about a crucifix? What about the dozens of homes I've been in back when I was a teenager where the folks who worked at the cotton mill almost always had a picture of Jesus in the living room with the family Bible on a small table in front of it. It was their prayer table and they were anything but Catholic, so were they worshiping idols and graven images?
Some Amish take the graven image commandment a step further, which is why they don’t like getting their pictures taken.
Maybe they shouldn’t kiss grandma’s pictures because isn’t that idolatry? After all, it’s showing affection to a graven image other than God.
Depends if she’s bowing TO them and praying TO them or not.
Same for the families.
Bowing in a church at an altar rail even though there might be statues in the vicinity doesn’t equate to bowing before them or TO them.
What about this concept of bowing TO something or before it (as in front of facing it) and praying to it as opposed to simply having pictures or statues around that is so hard for Catholics to understand?