Get your own Free Home PageThis article is from the September 1996 issue of Bop.
If you had a choice of being one of six or one of three kids, which would you prefer? Probably the latter, right? That way you wouldn't have to fight so hard for phone time, mom and dad's attention and that all-important front seat in the car.
Well even though the odds of getting what you want may be higher with less siblings, Vinnie (who starred in The Indian In The Cupboard and who will be in the upcoming movie, Alaska) says none of that stuff compares to the advantages of coming from a big family.
"It is such an experience growing up [with five brothers and sisters]," 17-year-old Vinnie told us. "Everything is going on at once and it is like moments of extreme chaos. My family, they are my best friends."
Because most of Vinnie's best friends - brother Nathan, 18; sisters Colette, 20; Andrea, 22; Theresa, 23 and Elise, 25 - have moved out of the house to pursue their own goals, he treasures the time he does get to spend with them.
"My oldest sister, Elise, just moved back into the house for a while," says Vinnie. "Then once she [saves] enough money we [meaning Vinnie and parents Jim and Janet] will kick her out," he jokes. "And I will be all alone again. It'll be hell."
While Vinnie's been enjoying Elise's company at home, he's also realized something important about his sis that he never knew before. "It's weird. I never really knew her because I was only 10 when she left. But now that she's back, I realize that she is me. It is amazing. I mean we are like Ike and Mike."
But while Vinnie enjoys hanging out with his likeness, the sibling that he looks forward to seeing the most is his brother Nathan, who is away at college these days. "We don't really do anything," says Vinnie of his relationship with Nathan. "We just kind of sit around and talk. It is just that we enjoy each other's presence."
Yet sometimes when Vinnie needs a boost of brotherly bonding, he'll head out to his brother's college, which is about two hours away to visit. "One time we went to Mankato State. My brother doesn't go there, but it's just known as a pretty crazy school. So we go over there and hang out."
Get your own Free Home Page