Thursday, September 12, 2019
Jojo's role in the family is detrimental to himself
Due to Leonies' lack of motherly instincts, the roles in the family dynamic are often switched or flipped around. Jojo acts as the main caregiver to Kayla, which often causes him to forget about his own health or well being. Leonie isn't able to support or care for her children properly, and although Pops does the best he can as their father figure, the need for a maternal figure is still prevalent. This may also cause Jojo to have some confusion about who he is meant to be, since he wants to take after Pops but also has to act as a mom to Kayla. This also may be why he struggles so often to prove his masculinity and mimic Pops, since he's thrown into a womanly role in the household and family. Jojo himself has grown up incredibly quickly in order to fill these shoes, and he has missed out on living out his last years of childhood innocence, which is vital to most kiddos. Since Mam was the only woman role model in his life, I wonder how her death will change him and the role he plays.
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While I do agree with your points Sophia, I also think that Jojo’s parental authority over Kayla benefits him in many ways. When Leonie was Jojo’s age, I am almost certain that she did not have to take care of Given all on her own. Mam and Pop most likely were responsible for taking care of both Given and Leonie. Due to this, Leonie was only responsible for herself, unlike Jojo. However, Michael and Leonie are very different from Mam and Pop. Neither of them take responsibility for their kids, leaving Jojo to do the work. Jojo’s duty of taking care of Kayla helps him mature and see life from an adult’s point of view.
Jojo is more grown up then Leonie in a way. If Leonie had to take care of her brother Given when she was younger, she might have matured faster and made better decisions as an adult. She might have avoided her drug addiction, found a better partner, or had a better job. Instead, Leonie was reliant on Mam and Pop to provide her with all her needs.
In contrast, Jojo works for everything that he and Kayla get, including food! Jojo is able to realize what the necessities are in life and how to obtain these things at such a young age. Jojo realizes that life will be difficult for him in the future, unlike Leonie who had it pretty easy as a child. Jojo is a parent at 13 years old and has more time to figure out how to find success in life.
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