Sofia Vergara glad to be young parent

London: "Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara is glad she had her son when she was young because they are "friends" now that he is grown up.

The 43-year-old beauty is close "friends" with 23-year-old Manolo - who she had with high school sweetheart Joe Gonzalez when she was just 20 years old.

She said having a baby when she did was ideal because she had so much energy to keep up with the demands of parenthood, reported Daily Mirror.

"I think it helps when he grows up and you are like friends, as well as mother and son. It's fantastic to have your kids young, because you have so much energy," Vergara said.

And the Colombian beauty and her son share a sense of humour.

"I think my family's really funny. Colombian people need that because we come from times that were tough, and sometimes the only way to survive that was to make fun of ourselves and those situations."