Mama June Shares How She’s Adjusting to Raising Late Daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell’s 11-Year-Old
June "Mama June" Shannon is easing into her new normal.
Four months after her daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell died following a 10-month cancer battle, the 44-year-old detailed how life has changed since being awarded temporary custody of granddaughter Kaitlyn.
"We took on the responsibility of an 11-year-old—making sure that she gets to school and making sure that we make life as normal as we can for her," June told E! News in an exclusive interview. "Also just getting into a routine ourselves and trying to keep the consistency with Kaitlyn because that's what she needs—structure and consistency."
After filing a petition in Georgia for a change in child custody and "for emergency ex parte relief" in January, the Mama June: Family Crisis star said Kaitlyn moved in with her a month before Anna died of stage 4 adrenal carcinoma and that she's been caring for her since.
Anna never publicly shared the identity of Kaitlyn's father, although she raised her with ex-husband Michael Cardwell—with whom she shares daughter Kylee, 8—before the couple's 2017 split. Since Anna's death, Kylee has been living with Michael.
June, who revealed that Anna didn't sign any paperwork formalizing Kaitlyn's guardianship during her health battle, emphasized how complicated taking on the parental role is for her and husband Justin Stroud.
"I tell Kaitlyn all the time, 'I'll never replace your mother,'" June recalled. "I say this all the time, but Kylee shouldn't have to be raised by Kylee's dad. I shouldn't be raising Kaitlyn. Anna should be here raising her children. It's not fair for any of us that Anna's gone, especially for her children."
June—who is also mom to Jessica Shannon, Lauryn Efrid and Alana Shannon—and Justin have also been learning to re-prioritize themselves while parenting Kaitlyn since Anna's death.
"Me and my husband took her to chemo treatments, and we would go every check on her all the time," she explained. "Now, trying to make your life a priority again after this happened has been tough and an adjustment period."
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