Some children were riding on the bus. At the bus stop 2 more children got on the bus. Then there were 41 children altogether on the bus. How many children were riding on the bus before the bus stop?
First, we need to find the total number of children on the bus. 2 more children got on the bus, so there were 41 children altogether on the bus. 

Next, we need to find the number of children on the bus before the bus stop. We know that the total number of children on the bus is 41, and 2 more children got on the bus, so the number of children on the bus before the bus stop must be 41-2, which is 39. 

Therefore the answer (numeric) is: 

39