ballad of the band aids

"Miss Brassell, (New) Music Teacher, Misses Teacher... I need a band-aid!" is the most common cry I've heard all year

(atleast among the kindergartners through 2nd graders...)

At first I thought it was quite cute

Kid gets a scrape and I get to be the doting mother figure and magically fix the boo boo and be the hero

But then my 100,000 pack of boring old fabric bandages disappeared

and the twisted, scabby leftovers were left decorating my floor

and to think i actually considered buying the cool ones!

that's when i brought forth a new rule

NOTICE: NO BAND AID UNLESS BLEEDING

The students were distraught and I was quite the bad guy

But one can only take so many...

-Miss Brassell I need a band aid!

-Okay, come to my desk.

[Opening bandaid] -Alright where's the owie?

[Sad, sullen eyes] -Right here...

[Digs through desk for old magnifying glass to be able to see said "wound"  and places band aid on student. Looks up to see five other kids in line holding an appendage, crying out for a band aid because they suddenly became aware of their 2 weeks old mosquito bite or last month's papercut

I thought the band aid vendetta was over, but boy was I wrong

Lesson: Kid's WILL take your challenge

My new pack of self replenishing band aids is already half empty

And as I sat down to think just how this backfired on my smart, intelligent self

I witnessed it

The moment a classmate actually earned a band aid, the other students would begin searching their body in a frenzy

 began picking their scabs... squeezing any minscule wounds... praying for any sign of blood.

All for a plain jane, off brand, fabric band aid.

NEW NOTICE: NO BAND AID UNLESS SEVERED APPENDAGE