Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
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05-27-2002, 11:27 AM
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#1
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,365
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Kids staying home alone
Hey - ya'll with older children - at what age did you start letting them stay home alone? Call me fairly overprotective, but some of my oldest son's friends (10 y/o) sometimes stay home by themselves. [img]graemlins/ukid.gif[/img] I don't think my parents left us until maybe I was 12? And my mom just "can't remember" (LOL!).
Any advice would be helpful! Thanks, group!
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05-27-2002, 11:32 AM
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#2
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Slate Belt, PA
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 15,346
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Re: Kids staying home alone
I was a latch-key kid by age 7. Always got home from school before my parents were home from work, but I had a great sense of self-preservation and knew how to stay out of trouble. I got home, did my homework, and waited the hour and a half for my mom to get home. No catastrophies and my mom said she'd let me start babysitting when I was 12. I started the day after my 12th birthday!
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05-27-2002, 11:32 AM
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#3
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Florida Big Bend
Posts: 17,133
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Re: Kids staying home alone
I'd be curious as well. Someone told me that here in Florida you aren't allowed to leave children under 13 home alone. DH's daughter just turned 12 and thinks she should be allowed to stay in the house all day alone [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] (she told us her mother let her but turns out that was just when she had a very quick errand)....we don't think that a good idea quite yet....A friend told me that when her kids started asking she told them that it was "an earned privilidge"....after they turned 12 or 13 I think she said.
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05-27-2002, 01:17 PM
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#4
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 7,150
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Re: Kids staying home alone
Funny that this thread was started because I just asked my father this question the other day! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
He told me that I was about 12 when I was being left home alone. They would drop me off at the bus stop in the morning and then I would be home after school for about 2- 2 1/2 hours until they got home from work. I was thinking about this for my daughter is 10 and sometimes I do leave her home but again that is only for about 15 minutes.
Hope this helps!
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05-27-2002, 01:19 PM
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#5
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: North Central Ohio
Posts: 21,629
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Re: Kids staying home alone
We started letting our son stay home alone (I emphasize "alone", he was never to have any friends at the house while we were away) at the age of 12, and only for short periods of time. I think it depends on how mature your child is.
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05-27-2002, 01:56 PM
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#6
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Florida Big Bend
Posts: 17,133
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Re: Kids staying home alone
Steve, thank you SO MUCH for posting this topic. Now I know I can stay firm and confident when DH's daughter starts bugging us. She's a trustworthy girl; but still lacks the maturity necessary to be left alone for more than an "errand"'s time. I'm really grateful you brought it up!
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05-27-2002, 01:56 PM
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#7
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Community Rank: Trekker 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Nowhere
Posts: 1,197
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Re: Kids staying home alone
The first time I remember letting them say alone was an emergency. My father had broken his hip and I had to take my mom to the hospital which was an hour away. I left my 11 and 14 year old at my mom's house. DH knew they were alone. They walked to the town pool for the afternoon and then went hom with DH.
I didn't know who to worry about. The boys home alone or my dad. It was a stressful day.
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05-27-2002, 02:11 PM
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#8
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Community Rank: Trekker
Join Date: May 2001
Location: CT.
Posts: 1,381
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Re: Kids staying home alone
Well, the way my DS is I may leave him alone when he's 20 and even then I'm not sure. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]
Seriously though, I think it depends on the child. Some children are very mature for their age while other's like my DS who has ADHD is not. The legal age in CT is 12 for a child to be left alone but I don't think he will be ready at that age.
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05-27-2002, 02:21 PM
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#9
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Arlington,Texas USA
Posts: 2,555
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Re: Kids staying home alone
I didn't realize there was a law about this. I can't believe it's illegal to leave a child alone in the state of until they are 12.
I wouldn't leave my 8 yo DD alone for another two years, and then only for a short time, but to make it a law . . .
tinksmom
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05-27-2002, 02:32 PM
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#10
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 2,077
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Re: Kids staying home alone
I was 12. I also started babysitting at that age too. It was next door and my parents were usually home when I was there so that help me feel safe. Always kept the doors locked and didn't let anyone in (This was also the early 80's and we were in an extremely safe neighborhood). We usually played lego and watched TV so it was the easiest money I think I will ever make. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
But I'm in agreement with the age 12 - eventhough I don't have any kids, it just my opinion.
Good topic Steve.
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05-27-2002, 02:36 PM
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#11
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Mont Belvieu, TX
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 2,086
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Re: Kids staying home alone
I agree that it all depends on the child and also on where you live. My DH and I were both single parents while our oldest were in elementary and left them alone at times. We usually had trustworthy neighbors that the kids could turn to. My DD was 9 and I could leave here for several hours. With DS ( who is now 9) I only leave him for maybe an hour. We live in a rural area plus he is quite curious and tends to get into stuff. This is always a difficult decision for any parent. Good Luck! mary
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05-27-2002, 02:44 PM
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#12
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Florida Big Bend
Posts: 17,133
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Re: Kids staying home alone
I was caught unawares of this type of law as well. It took me completely off-guard. I was just asking a friend how old her daughter was when she first let her stay alone.
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05-27-2002, 03:17 PM
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#13
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Community Rank: Trekker
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Mansfield, MA
Posts: 1,608
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Re: Kids staying home alone
I was babysitting at age 11 (only in our apartment building though) but I started staying alone at age 10 and staying home alone with my older brothers when I was 8 (my brothers are 4 and 5 years older than I).
I think it all depends on the child(ren) in question. If you feel that they are old enough to stay home alone, then they are.
Have a great day all!
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05-27-2002, 05:35 PM
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#14
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Guide since 2003
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: West Mifflin, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 11,546
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Re: Kids staying home alone
My DS will be 10 in October & I have left him home alone for 5-10 minutes tops.. to run to Co-Go's which is 10 houses down from my house or the school which is about 1/8 of a mile.. I would NEVER leave him with his brother & sister as they wouldn't listen to him...
I think the leaving at home decision should be based on the childs maturit...My son is a VERY mature 9YO & I would feel very confidant leaving him here by himself.. To which DH & I disagree.. DS was sick a couple weeks ago &I had to go to work right after his Dr visit & DH had to go to the pharmacy to pick up his RX.. I felt that DS could have been left alone for that 1/2 hour while DH was at the store but DH wouldn't hear of it & made DS go to the store with him..
Also, my FIL lives in an attached apartment to our home so he would be there in case anything would happen ( even tho he is disabled & has a severe brain injury~ he's got the mentality of a 12 YO on a good day [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] ) FIL would still be 'there' physically ..
But like I said it all depends on the child...
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05-27-2002, 10:25 PM
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#15
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 477
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Re: Kids staying home alone
I have no idea how old I was as far as staying home but I do know that I started baby sitting at 12.
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