Mama June Shannon Says It Took 'a Lot of Hard Work' and 'Tears' to Reach Good Place with Family (Exclusive)
Mama June Shannon exclusively tells PEOPLE fans will get to see "a lot" of how her family resolved their ongoing issues in the new season of Mama June: Family in Crisis, premiering Friday on WE tv
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 of Mama 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 when signing over sole custody of daughter Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson to older daughter Lauryn "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.
The custody filing occurred around the time June wed now-husband Justin 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.
Justin, in fact, admits "it was a little rocky" before he was eventually accepted by the family, citing "the past tensions and what's happened in the past with other men" as some of the reasons for the strife.
"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."
Justin also believes June'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 Crisis premieres Friday at 9 p.m. ET on WE tv.
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