I am the second oldest of 7 kids. People typically respond to that with “Whoa!” or “That’s crazy!” And they’re right. It’s crazy that my parents had seven kids and manage their time so that each kid gets special individual attention. I was 15 when my youngest sibling was born so for the last several years I have experienced some things – things that I have come to realize usually only happen when you come from an abnormally big family.

1. People think your siblings are your children. You tend to get stares from people who think you're a teen parent.

2. When in public, you and your family typically make a scene because there are so many of you and people are not sure what to think. After awhile, you get used to people looking at your family.

3. You are often asked: "How do your parents afford that many kids?!"

My answer: "My family's last name is "'Rich'"

4. You LOVE to embarrass one another (I think this is true for any given family, but it's especially true in big families because there are so many of you to pick on.)

5. The kitchen sink is never free of dishes. To quote Mr. Incredible: "I just cleaned up this mess! Can you keep it clean for ten minutes?!"

6. You share a room with your sibling that is half your age. Never in my life have I had my own room.

7. People always ask "Do you want a big family when you grow up?" and I'm just like....

8. Deciding who is going to drive which car in the morning is a daily struggle. Musical cars is our favorite game.

9. When eating out, your whole family shares one soft drink because it's cheaper to do that and keep refilling the cup instead of buying each person their own cup. Some people think it's gross for a whole family to share one cup, but who cares? We're all family. My germs are your germs.

10. Privacy? What's that? It's pretty much nonexistent in a big family. A moment of silence is a rare occurrence.