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INFORMATION
Andrew Wilde was born into a Catholic family in Springdale, Connecticut, a suburb of Stamford with a small-town feel. The third in a family of five children, he was never alone and had virtually no privacy. For the first six years of his life, he shared a room with his brother, Peter. Once Charles Jr. was born, the Wilde family moved into a larger house, but Andrew's days of sharing a room were not over. While the house was larger, the children still had to share -- Andrew with Charles Jr. and Jamie with Becky, with Peter as the only exception. When he moved out to attend college, Jamie took his room, and finally at the age of twelve when Jamie left, Andrew claimed the room, finally settling into his own space. Because of the lack of privacy and being forced to share all of his life, the Wilde children were very close. Most notable was the relationship between Peter and Andrew, perhaps because the most crucial years of Andrew's life were spent in the smaller house, sharing a bedroom with him. The two were practically inseparable until Peter left for college.
Rose and Charles tried to instill the best Catholic morals in their children. They had a large family, and they all attended Mass every Sunday as any good Catholic should. All of the children went through private Catholic school from Kindergarten through 12th grade. All of the children had their Communion. Despite this religious upbringing, Andrew isn't very religious. He attends church every Sunday, still, but no longer subscribes to many of the Catholic beliefs he was raised with. While his other siblings went off to attend religious colleges, he stuck to private liberal arts schools with no religious affiliations.
There were few notable moments in Andrew's childhood, but the events that transpired effected him greatly. At 7, his paternal grandfather died. Two years later, at 9, his grandmother followed. When he was 12, Peter moved out to attend college. At 13, Andrew called Peter long distance and came out to him in a fit of sobs. Though he thought that his brother would hang up on him and never speak to him again, maybe tell their parents, none of that happened. Peter was surprisingly accepting of it, and counseled Andrew through most of his teen years. Middle and high school were quite a pain, though. The Catholic schools that they were sent to were coed, fortunately. One of the great things about Catholic schools are their unparalleled ability to foster the need to rebel. Those who knew, or assumed, Andrew's sexuality picked on him mercilessly, though a lot of those who did tease him were the very same ones willing to experiment with him. It wasn't until Andrew was 17 that he finally came out to the rest of his family. He had just been accepted into Connecticut College, which was for the best.
Rose and Charles were furious. Though they did not cut him off from paying for college, they didn't want very much to do with him, which is an attitude they've maintained over the years. Peter and Andrew are still very close. He received a degree in music theory and composition and now travels with his band. Jamie is a Kindergarten teacher at the Catholic school all of the Wilde children attended. Charles Jr. is a youth pastor at the church near his home in California, where he just finished college. Becky has just started college in Connecticut and has not yet declared a major.
Rose and Charles do not talk to Andrew for very long when he calls, and most of his siblings, aside from Peter, treat him the same, though not as purposely. They love their brother, but they are very busy with their own lives and, in Jamie's case, would prefer raising a family without a homosexual influence. After college in Connecticut, Andrew decided to attend graduate school for psychology. He moved to Rhode Island when he was accepted into a PhD program at Brown for Social Psychology. He managed to pick up a job substitute teaching in Providence. He doesn't make much money, but he does receive financial aid, which helps reduce the burden. Andy's initial home in Providence was in a horrible neighborhood, and after Peter's initial visit he insisted that Andy move, which is how Andy ended up at the Arcade Lofts. Peter foots the bill in exchange for Andy's academic success.
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