Did I really just say that...

With a good handful of middle school aged boys, it is expected that the back of the bus will erupt into "awww..." and "ohhh..." - the back 4 or 5 seats worth of boys jumping up with their shirts over their noses and windows shooting down and a roar of uncontrolled laughter. Inevitably, one boy will remain sitting in his seat, nose uncovered, shoulders shaking up and down with his laughter... the culprit.

Boys will be boys, right! It's all good, so long as it stays in the back of the bus!

Yesterday, however, a group of boys move up to the front two seats. They're a smidgen younger than the middle school boys so I imagine they're most likely trying to figure out exactly where they fit, which right now, is nowhere.

Being the "good" bus driver that I am, I ignore their conversation. My brain has been trained to listen for cue words, if I hear them then I hone in on the conversation and decide if I need to intervene or if I can let that one be. So I hear "... I'm gonna tell" and I start listening. "don't do it man"... laughter... "MISS TEE..." and it hits me - a wave of stink so rank that I gag and nearly lose my lunch (yes I'm pregnant again, so smells really bother me!). Anyway, they continue to "tell" on their friend who has passed gas. I say "no passing gas on the bus". They laugh and say huh... I say "no farting on the bus". They laugh again. The little kids start laughing and talking about farting... shoot, I should have chosen my words a bit more wisely. Then I hear another one and cover my nose before it can get to me and I say very loudly "NO MAKING STINKIES ON THE BUS!"... and think, did I really just say that!!???!?!?!