What's with the Band-Aids?

At some point in early childhood children are taught, I blame grandmothers, that band-aids are miracle cure-alls, harnessing the ability to to heal any bump, bruise, scrape, and the stray pinch from a sibling.  And, as is typical with toddlers, rational explanations of the contrary are futile. Currently our newly three-year-old daughter, Maisy, requests somewhere between two and five bandages a day- with at least one appeal between the hours of midnight and four AM. 

Looks can be deceiving.

Here is a transcript of last night's plea.

Maisy: "Mom!  Mom!  Mooooooom!  Rhiana!!!!  I hurt myself."  (Since it was 2:30 in the morning, I am not quite sure how many times she bellowed "Mom."  I'm guessing that it was at least a dozen.)

I scramble out of bed cursing loudly after banging my knee into the sharp corner of the bedframe, and slowly amble down the hallway to her room.  Once I am there, I step on a small plastic My Little Pony brush with my bare left foot, curse again, then hobble on my right to her bedside. 

Me: "What's wrong, Maisy?"

Maisy: "I hurt my toe.  I need a Band-Aid."

Me: "How did you hurt it?"

Maisy: "It touched the pillow."

Me: "Well, it isn't bleeding, so you don't need a Band-Aid."

Maisy: "Yes I do!  It hurts!!! Wahhhhh!" 

Me: "Maisy, go to sleep.  You are fine."

I give the toddler a quick kiss on the forehead, tuck her back in with her cozy special white blanket, and make a quick exit.  I am not more than half way down the hall when she begins to cry again.

Maisy: "Mommy, owee, owee, owee!  It hurts!"

Desperate to lay my head back down, I silently unearth a band-aid from the junk drawer and hand it to the toddler.

Maisy: "Nooooo, not that one!  That one is scary!"  (I think that she find the Scooby Doo ones scary only because they have a blue background- versus a pink or purple one.)

Knowing that this exchange would continue at least another fifteen minutes if I choose stand my ground, I rummage around the drawer once more for the Hello Kitty bandages.

Me: "Ok, Maisy.  Here you go.  Now go to sleep."  I carefully wrap the bright pink kitty and flower adorned band-aid around her big toe and give her another kiss good-night.

And, as I am about shut her door I hear her call out so sweetly, "Mom, it is all better, you can take it off now."  She has won... again.