How to explain RENT to an 8-year-old..

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 11:33am

So my brother, who's 8 years old, has this weird fascination with just getting stuff that other ppl want..for himself, so when I asked for the RENT OBC poster for Xmas he was like "I WANT THAT TOO!" So obviosuly my mom wasn't gonna get it for him, sowhen we go to NYC today, he says he's gonna buy it with the 20 dollars my grandma gave him. Well I told him, "Hmm mommy probably won't like you buying that, it's too inappropriate for you" and when he asked why..well, I wasn't sure what to say
He said : "Why? It's just about that Anthony guy talking about how he can't pay his RENT"
Me: Yes..of course...

Well how do I explain THAT to him? ..... you know the whole drugs and AIDS thing..which he shouldn't learn till like the 5th grade, but he is annoying me soo much asking why he can't. Why the hell I said it isn't appropriate for him, I don't know..go figure

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 11:45am

He shouldn't learn about AIDs and drugs until he's in 5th grade, or he shouldn't get AIDS and do drugs until he's in 5th grade? Sheltering a child will just cause them to seek out the information for themselves, from peers, the internet, etc. I think telling a kid about AIDS and drugs at age 8 is fine, but I'm a liberal, and don't believe in sugar coating things for a child. It is better to give them the reality of things before his peers tell him incorrect information that may taint is views on these subjects for life. Kids are very smart, and I think we underestimate their ability to process mature information. Updated On: 12/25/04 at 11:45 AM

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 11:47am

or let your parents handle it.

[BroadwayMonkey]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 11:47am

I agree, Bobby.

[TGIF]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 11:55am

I would leave it to your parents.

[Justice]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 12:04pm

There's nothing better in this world than an older brother and sister to help guide you through life. Okay, I was trying to sound cliche, but what I am saying is, the advice of leaving it to your parents is wrong. All you have to do is simplify things. Don't give him the whole "Birds and Bees" speech. Just explain the plot in a simplified manor. Find the right words, and spill them out. Or you can just tell him he'll understand when he's older.

[TGIF]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 12:15pm

Learning from older siblings is how I learned alot of things. However, explaining something like this might want to be left to a parent, so it is done correctly. The only reason I say this is that I know how much kids question and pry. One bit of information explained to him will raise more questions and those answers will provoke more questions. You may not be prepared to answer all of them.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 12:31pm

Tell him RENT is about a community of people dying from a disease, and that disease is AIDS. Tell him that it's about them dealing with watching their friends die, and they do it through creating art.

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 1:24pm

BlueWizard,

Of course, that's not at all what RENT is about.

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 1:32pm

I was just about to say that too, GalsSilent.

BlueWizard, your Rent 'summary' is like saying Lord Of The Rings is about small people and big people on Middle Earth.

QM

[Bal]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 2:02pm

I think Bluewizard was trying to summarize why it's "inappropriate"...obviously the little brother has heard some of the cd.

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 2:08pm

Does anyone else think that this is adorable. Why don't you offer to make a copy for him, and listen to it together. So if any questions pop up, you'll be right there to answer them.

[liveforeverybreath]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 2:14pm

Your brother's really not too young. You could only imagine the types of things that children are exposed to everyday. I mean, what grade is he in? My little sister is in the 6th grade. One day she came home telling me how she heard a girl in one of her classes telling a friend how she was just in the bathroom giving some guy head for coke. What is this world coming to? Tell him about the show is the least of your worries, in a couple of years he could be that boy pimping coke.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 2:18pm

Of course Rent is about more than just AIDS and art. I couldn't explain all of Rent in two sentences. I'm just recommending that you don't approach it from a sensationalist angle (ie. "Rent is about drug addicts and drag queens and Bohemian artists with relationship problems!"). It's best to approach it from an angle of familiarity, like the idea of community and hope, and friendship.

BTW, how would one summarize the plot of Rent in two sentences?

Updated On: 12/25/04 at 02:18 PM

[TGIF]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 2:47pm

umm...*thinks*

well..."Bisexuals, trisexuals, homo sapiens, Carcinogens, hallucinogens, men, Pee Wee Herman!" :)

[maybethistime]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 3:59pm

Dont!! Just tell him to get over it and let him in on how the world sucks when hes old enough to be bogged down with such horrible news...

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 7:00pm

BlueWizard,

Yeah, I agree about the two sentences thing, but the realities of AIDS and art are kind of background to the story of a group of young friends in New York who live through a year, and are torn apart by their realities, and brought together through their hopes and dreams.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 7:52pm

Oooh, I like that description.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 7:59pm

I like that description too but it might go over the head of an 8 year old.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 8:06pm

Too many abstract concepts like "reality" and "brought together through their hopes and dreams"?

How about something simple, like, "RENT is about a community of young adults trying to stay friends while struggling with being different"?

[CJR]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 8:11pm

The fact remains that this child is 8 years old. While my brother knew many things he shouldn't at 8 years old, he didn't know the extent of how ugly the world can get. The fact that a lot of the characters in this show are dying and some are addicted to drugs is just a little too boldly 'real' for a child. I think your best bet would be to explain to your mother that he was asking about the show and if SHE wants to broach the toopic with him, so be it. I think you said as much as you could say and it's most definitely not your place to really explain the content of Rent to him.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 8:15pm

True. You don't want your little brother to think that being a junkie is cool after listening to RENT.

[CJR]

Posted: 12/25/04 at 8:17pm

It's not so much that as the fact that I think he's a bit too young to be subjected to those kind of harsh realities.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 12/26/04 at 12:57am

The adult subject matter of RENT, presented not clinically but in terms of an "entertainment," is completely inappropriate for an 8-year old. Regardless of his interest in it or the cynical and irrelevant assumption that he's been exposed to worse or that his friends are listening to it, etc, etc, RENT should be kept off limits to him, period. There are plenty of other shows, books, movies, etc. which not only convey stories and themes better suited for a child than RENT but also are far superior in artistic execution.

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 5:18pm

Thanks guys!!

So it turns out, the minute he actually saw the poster, and saw Daphne and Idina's pose, he said "OH GROSS WHAT'S THAT GIRL WEARING!!!!" so in the end I didn't have to explain anything to him...lol