‘Get OUT of the bathroom!’ And 8 other truths about BIG families

If you spent half your childhood answering to every name but your own, you'll know what it's like to grow up in a big, bustling family.

And while many would blanch at the notion of rocking hand-me-downs and sharing a bedroom with a hape of siblings, recent research has revealed that if it wasn't for the cost factor, one in three Irish parents would welcome new additions.

According to laya research, 77 per cent of those surveyed want a 'bigger' family, while one in ten are planning to extend their brood over the next 12 months.

With that in mind, here are just 9 things you'll know if you grew up in a big familiy.

1. Your bladder control is second to none as you spent most of your early life waiting on the wrong side of the bedroom door.

"I will pee on the landing and you'll have to step over it, I swear to God."

2. The only time clothes were bought specifically for you was on your birthday… and Christmas, if you were lucky.

"Put on your brother's Spiderman underpants, and don't be annoying me."

3. You have been known to answer to the dog's name because it saved time finding out what your mam wanted from you.

"Did you just call me Rover? Ah whatever, what do you want?"

4. You made any excuse to visit friends who only happened to have older siblings you rarely saw.

"And tell me, were you ever made wear their underwear?"

5. You knew better than to antagonise your mother at ANY point during dinner prep.

"I've been peeling these potatoes since 2pm and you come in telling tales on the world and its wife? Get out of my sight."

6. You accept that teachers will regularly compare you to your siblings… and their shortcomings.

"You're a Mulligan, are you? I knew the minute you handed in this drivel you were himself's sister. Why can't the pair of you be more like your younger sister?"

7. Fist fights, foot fights and pillow fights were used to resolve most issues, and it's still something you consider using as an adult.

"One belt with Dad's whopper tri-pillow would whack sense into that young one in work."

8. Foreign holidays were the reserve of smaller families, so your crew generally landed down to the sunny south-east of a summer.

"When do you think I'll see the inside of an airport, Mam?"

9. You became so used to sharing presents, anything else seems indulgent nowadays.

"Now, your dad and I knew you both wanted a Barbie jeep, so this one is for the pair of you."