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Jean and Tom Thetford watch their great-grandson, Bentley Francis, 3, in the living room of their home in Paducah. Although he doesn't live with Jean and Tom all the time, Jean says their house is the most stable environment for Bentley.
Bentley checks Jean's throat while pretending to be a doctor. Jean says it's sometimes difficult to keep up with Bentley's high energy, but she loves having him in the house. "I can't hardly stand it when they don't bring him because I really love him being here," she says.
Jean and Tom share a moment in the kitchen of their home in Paducah. "It's been a real pleasure," Jean says of their 26 year marriage. Both were previously married and divorced before they met each other. "Being married before taught us how to make things work well," Tom said. They now work together to raise Bentley. "He thinks his papaw hung the moon," Jean says.
Bentley squirms away from the phone as Jean tries to get him to talk to his mother who is calling from a rehabilitation center in Florida. "He'll ask her, 'Are you coming?' and get upset when she can't," Jean says. She says the situation has been difficult for Bentley. "You never know what kind of lasting effect that will have on a child," she says.
Jean and Tom try to calm their great-grandson during a Friday night dinner outing at Texas Roadhouse in Paducah. Jean says that the instability of the situation has been difficult for Bentley but that they have done everything in their power to try to raise him well. "I'm pretty sure the influence he gets here is better than any of the other places," Jean says.
A movie plays as Jean and Bentley relax in his room at her house. Bentley and his mother lived in the room when Bentley was first born. "It's home for him," Jean said. Since Bentley doesn't spend the night very often anymore, Jean tries to make the most of the time they have together when he visits. "What would I do if I didn't have him to fill my days and make me happy?" Jean says.