Mama June Shannon.Photo: Robin L Marshall/Getty
Mama June Shannon’s family has overcome a lot of hardship over the years. And through it all, the famed bunch always manages to come back to each other.
Ahead of the return ofMama June: Family in Crisis, June exclusively tells PEOPLE that it took “a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, a lot of just arguing, a lot of fighting, a lot of tears” for the family to reach a good place. She teases that fans will also see “a lot of that” occurring in the WE tv show’s sixth season.
Something that has helped June, 43, with her kids in recent years is learning to choose her battles, which she relied on whensigning over sole custodyof daughterAlana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompsonto older daughterLauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon. In determining that was the best way forward, June says she had to have a proper “sit down with the family.”
“I don’t want the mudslinging to happen. I didn’t want to go through a huge ass court battle, then at the end of the day, Alana hating me, or Pumpkin, and not talk to either one of us, and be that rebellious person and say, ‘Well, I don’t want to talk to either one of you all,'” she explains.
June “Mama June” Shannon, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon with daughter Ella.Paras Griffin/Getty
The custody filing occurred around the time Junewednow-husbandJustin Stroud. But their relationship didn’t initially earn the stamp of approval from June’s daughters, who felt she prioritized her romantic pursuit over her children.
“I’ve always told them to put their guard up. They should always protect theirselves over anybody. You can’t love nobody else or do anything for anybody else if you don’t protect yourself first,” he says. “So, always protect yourself.”
Mama June and Justin Stroud.Justin Stroud Instagram
Justin also believesJune’s health struggles last year"really turned around" a lot for the family amid ongoing issues.
“It scared [June] but it also scared the girls,” he adds. “And they started realizing what’s important in life. … It’s the little things.”
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Mama June: Family in Crisispremieres Friday at 9 p.m. ET on WE tv.
source: people.com
