BOSTON, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A 20-year-old woman has been granted legal custody of her 16-year-old sister.
Emily Cuddy says she will raise her sister, Jennifer, the way her parents would have, the Boston Herald reported.
"I don't want to be just her guardian on a piece of paper," the Medway, Mass., woman said
In October 2004, their 41-year-old mother drowned in a relative's hot tub. Then, last fall, their father died at the age of 51, the newspaper said.
Three younger siblings, ages 14, 11 and 9, are living with aunts and uncles nearby. But Emily sought custody so that Jennifer can finish her schooling at Medway High.
A judge agreed, making her one of the few older siblings in the state to be essentially the mother to her younger sister.
"Not every 20-year-old is capable of taking guardianship of a teen, but in this case it was definitely based on the maturity of the 20-year-old and her willingness to seek advice," said state Department of Social Services spokeswoman Denise Monteiro, whose agency approved the unusual arrangement.
