About nine minutes into the 11-minute court hearing late last month, Hope had had enough.

Hope is my daughter. She turns 18 on Halloween, a milestone so significant and mind-blowing that I still can't wrap my head around it. The same little redhead who I wrote about turning 10 years ago will now be 18. The old parenting adage that "the days are long, but the years are short" is 100% true. I feel the same way about my son, who is now starting to learn to drive.

Still, turning 18 also poses challenges for kids such as Hope. As someone born with a rare genetic condition who also has an intellectual disability, she may be 18 but she isn't the same as other 18-year-olds now considered legal adults. Thus, the court hearing.

It was held so my husband and I could get guardianship of Hope throug

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