As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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My next door neighbor babysits for us. She started when she was 12. She lives right next door, so close in fact that we can take our baby monitor over to the house and her grandparents can listen in while she is watching Devin. That way if there is a problem, all she has to do is speak up. Her mother will also come over and check on her. She is a very mature young lady and absolutely adores my children. She's 14 now but to speak with her, you'd think she was in her mid-20's. She fully understands the responsibility of watching children and takes it very seriously.
I'd just like to add a quick word about "trolling for jobs". Lizzie has taken the babysitters course and is trying to get work with some of the kids in our neighborhood. After a year of trying, she is finally landing a family because her best friend (that currently babysits for this family) is moving. She has reintroduced herself to different families at the pool and let them know that she is available. Lots of them kind of know her, and know us as well, but didn't know that she sat. It's all about advertising your service. Would you be more likely to hire a babysitter that put a flyer in your mailbox, or actually came up and introduced herself to you so you could see for yourself? References are a great idea, but if a sitter is just starting out, family members might be the only practice she has. And siblings can sometimes be harder that non-family members. So don't be hard on a kid that's trying to get a job. I agree with those above that say try her out while you are at home. You might be pleasantly surprised.
It's all about advertising your service. Would you be more likely to hire a babysitter that put a flyer in your mailbox, or actually came up and introduced herself to you so you could see for yourself? References are a great idea, but if a sitter is just starting out, family members might be the only practice she has. And siblings can sometimes be harder that non-family members. So don't be hard on a kid that's trying to get a job.
I guess that's part of it then....it's not so much her level of experience (she didn't offer any information and as the interaction continued, I didn't want to imply that we might be interested so I didn't ask) She didn't introduce herself....she knew my son and husband from the park, and came over and started dropping hints (literally) about sitting for us. Her manner did not make a very good impression as to the level of her maturity. She said hi to our son a few times, and he didn't reply back, which is strange for him. He's generally very friendly. Especially with girls/women. Then she dropped more hints. It's one of those "you would have had to be there" type interactions I guess. The whole situation made me a little uncomfortable. I only have one child, and we like having him around! It is up to my judgement to determine if a young lady passes the "i feel comfortable leaving my son with this person test"...she didn't...I don't think that's being harsh though, I'm just looking out for his well-being. I don't want her "practicing" her babysitting skills with my child! Trust me, I am not the super-overprotective type...every bruise and scrape is an achievement in my book!
I think it depends on the maturity level of the teen who is babysitting. DD started out babysitting for the neighbors across the street when she was 13, and things worked out fine. I was almost always home in case something came up (such as the time they locked my DD out of the house or the time the toilet overflowed!) DD and one of her friends also job shared a babysitting job for a woman whom they met when they were out for a walk in DD's friend's neighborhood. The woman had a two year old child, and she actually approached the girls about having them babysit. DD babysat twice a week for almost three years for this woman, and she actually became good friends with this family. Even now when DD comes home from school on break, she visits this woman and her DD who is now six years old.
I think you have to go with your gut feeling and what feels right for you and your children. You should never not feel good about leaving your child with a sitter. If you don't feel right about it, then maybe that sitter is not the right one for you. I would always make sure that you have a cell phone with you so that your sitter can reach you. Most sitters will not call unless it is something important, but I would much rather have a sitter call me just to make sure that he/she is doing the right thing. There are no silly questions. If a sitter is calling, he/she is just being conscientious about the care of your child. Good luck!
I started babysitting when I was 10 for my brother. Then about 12 or 13 I began babysitting for other kids, mostly kids that my brother was in scouts or YMCA sports with.
My DD just took a Red Cross babysitting course through GIrl Scouts and she has made plans to be a "mother's helper" for my cousin with a 6 month old baby. She is also looking forward to babysitting my brother's baby (due in December). Also to add to her training, she is also signed up to take a first aid and CPR course so she will be red Cross certified for babysitting, CPR, and first aid.
my dd is just starting to babysit for other people and she is 14 & very mature for her age - I have just started this past year leaving her alone for short periods. Whenever I needed a babysitter, I would always use someone that was high school age.
I would definitely go with your gut feeling, maybe she just doesn't click with your family.
But if you felt like you had to, you could always try the mother's helper idea, but don't feel pressured.
She sounds like she will find babysitting jobs eventually, the way she is asking around.
that's just my 2 cents... you're the mom, so you have a right to be fussy!
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or the time the toilet overflowed!) 
DD and one of her friends also job shared a babysitting job for a woman whom they met when they were out for a walk in DD's friend's neighborhood. The woman had a two year old child, and she actually approached the girls about having them babysit. DD babysat twice a week for almost three years for this woman, and she actually became good friends with this family. Even now when DD comes home from school on break, she visits this woman and her DD who is now six years old. 
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