Her children were upset at first that she didn’t help them, but then they understood that she wasn’t their slave. She had already raised them, it wasn’t her responsibility to raise her grandchildren.
Although we all adore our grandmothers, sometimes many parents don’t understand that it isn’t their duty to look after their children. They think that, because they are at home, they have nothing better to do, when the reality is that they have already done a lot and want to enjoy being able to rest.
Sometimes this causes problems because, while some grandmothers can tolerate having to work as caregivers, others simply make it clear that it isn’t their duty, no matter how much they adore their grandchildren.
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That’s the case of Josefa Feitosa, better known as «Jô». This grandmother is different from the rest; she didn’t want to stay at home. She’d worked for a long time in the Brazilian prison system, and when she finally retired, the last thing she wanted was to raise more children.
By that time, she already had three children and a grandson, whom she was asked to look after occasionally, so at a certain point, she said no and decided to leave her home behind. She sold all her possessions, house, furniture, and clothes, to do what she always wanted to do.
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She began to travel, first through some regions of her country, but then she forgot about borders and went out to explore the world.
In the beginning, one of her daughters, Lilith Feitosa, found it strange and annoying because she thought that the children were the ones who should go out to explore the world. However, she eventually realized that her mother wasn’t like the others. She wanted to go out and explore and embark on that great adventure.
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Josefa told G1 that she is a proud and dedicated mother, but she assures that grandmothers are not meant to take care of grandchildren. She believes that grandmothers’ homes should not always have their doors open for their children and grandchildren, as they also deserve privacy.
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That is why she prefers to get to know the world to fill herself with enriching experiences that she can’t have in her native Brazil.
She shares all her adventures on Instagram and wants to become a source of inspiration for older people who are afraid to travel. She backpacks often. It’s not about luxuries, but she finds every experience enriching.
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