How to Control Outbursts of Giggling

The fart inducing, tear running, red face and puffed cheeks. Lips bitten, hands clutching, face scrunched into a quivering bomb. Yes I'm talking about an attack of the giggles.

We've all been there, shuddering in silent company, tears rolling uncontrollably down our purple faces. Only the occasional squeak, raspberry or snort escaping us. Unfortunately as I'm sure you're all aware, suppressing laughter is just about as effective as suppressing wind, the result is hilarious and SO much more magnificent than if the emotion had run its natural course.

Now if you're lucky, you'll be the company of sympathetic people who may nod or wink in silent empathy. If you're not, the result can be disasterous, as there is nothing funnier to the exploding person than significant looks of dissapproval.

It is all the more difficult too, when the giggle attack is during a 'sombre' event. I need not ellaborate there, I'm sure you can summon up a few miserable places to explode unmercifully.

Now over my 28 years of existence, of course I have had my fair share of these eruptions, I wish I could say they were over something meaningful, or at least funny, but more often than not, I believe a simple fart could set me off. Worse still, it was contagious and my best pal would very often follow suit. It wasn't entirely uncommon for me to find myself outside the classroom 'composing myself' so as to re-enter the classroom in a dignified manner. I will not go into the impossibility of this task. I'm sure you can imagine...

Now for a weighty confession.... I once did the crime of farting in a particularly religious school assembly. I wasn't even that young, perhaps 15. Now as if an involuntary reaction beheld me, I turned accusingly to my innocent pal and exclaimed "Charlotte!"

Poor girl, I can remember her eyes widening at the falseness of the accusation. The disturbance was enough to draw attention to the fact that someone called Charlotte had farted and of course no one had any difficulty pointing her out. She was the one with the scarlet cheeks amid the sea of shaking backs.

Now you would think that as a 24 year old teacher I would have perhaps matured enough to 'deal' with such situations in a responsible manner, but no, I'm afraid to admit that it only took one 8 year old child siting in the row before my class to have me literally falling off my chair in an undignified spluttering.

The teacher in front soon followed suit, and the poor head teacher conducting the assembly had to stop a few times to ask if there was anything the matter. Interestingly enough the child that had farted remained entirely composed and looked with an innocent astonishment at the two teachers emitting all sorts of strange sounds in a poor attempt at composure.

I am glad to say that I believe this 'complaint' is not solely mine and that there are plenty of similar explosions which happen frequently enough. I attach YouTube evidence!

I would like to conclude this strangely themed hub with a sort of gratitude that this sort of eruption does happen from time to time as it just makes living in this rather peculiar world just that little bit more enjoyable!

Thank you for reading!