Mama June vows to end family ‘curse’ of teen motherhood by raising Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell’s daughter
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: The most recent episode of 'Mama June: Family Crisis' featured Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell's heartbroken family's struggle to put her death from cancer at the age of 29 behind them.
Mama June Shannon has established firm boundaries when it comes to raising her late daughter Anna's 11-year-old child Kaitlyn.
Mama June vows to raise Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell's daughter Kaitlyn as 'A-B student'
Anna gave permission for cameras to follow her during her last hours, but out of consideration for her loved ones' grief, the show decided not to film her passing or her funeral.
On the Friday, July 5, episode of 'Mama June: Family Crisis,' Anna's immediate family bid her farewell with tears as they psychologically readied themselves for her eventual departure.
Following a memorial service where she paid tribute to Anna, Mama June expressed that the anguish of losing her daughter didn't "f***ing compare" and that she was experiencing grief beyond anything she had ever experienced.
Anna desired that Mama June should have her daughter Kaitlyn's custody. When Mama June discovered that the paperwork was never completed, she prepared to consult an attorney to claim guardianship.
The matriarch of the Shannon family told cameras she was ready for a fight after learning that the father of Anna's other daughter, Kylee, intended to file a lawsuit to get custody of both daughters, per People.
Mama June clarified, "Anna wanted Kaitlyn to stay with her biological family. And I'm going to fight to my last breath till I don't have any more fight in me to make sure that is how it works."
Mama June—who also managed to obtain an emergency custody order—eventually registered Kaitlyn in school. June went back-to-school shopping with her spouse Justin Stroud before Kaitlyn's first day of classes.
While shopping for Kaitlyn's school supplies, June pledged against the family "curse" and to raise "an A-B student" as opposed to a "teen mom".
"I'm trying to raise maybe an A-B student, sometimes Cs, and not a teen mom," June revealed to the cameras. "I did that with myself, and I did that with Pumpkin, and I did that with Anna. So I want to break that curse."
Legal roadblocks in Mama June's path regarding Anna Cardwell's daughter Kaitlyn's custody
Despite her prior agreement with daughter Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell, Mama June had unexpectedly established a few legal obstacles in her way when it came to taking custody of Kaitlyn.
First, June's legal position was compromised since she had failed to complete the necessary paperwork to formalize the agreement.
Subsequently, it was revealed that Anna's former spouse, Michael Cardwell, with whom she had her other daughter, Kylee, 8, sought custody of the two daughters, per Daily Mail.
June stated that she was adamant about keeping guardianship of Kaitlyn because she wanted to pay tribute to her late daughter.
Kaitlyn was able to live with June and her new husband Justin Stroud, but their different approaches to parenting rapidly caused friction in their marriage.
The latest episode showed that tempers flared at home when June sternly told Kaitlyn that she had to go to bed immediately after taking a bath that evening.
With a gentle gesture, Kaitlyn turned to face Justin and asked if she could watch TV and have some ice cream before going to bed.
After Justin kindly gave in, June growled at him from a distance, saying, "Well don't listen to him! I've done told you to go to bed."
The husband and wife got into an argument when Kaitlyn left the scene. She said he was too lenient, while he countered that she was the one who was too strict.
