Benny the Bear Cub Learns to Wash Behind His Ears - A Children's Story

Benny the Bear Cub Learns to Wash Behind His Ears

By Bill Conley

Moral of the Story:

Bath time is not just about getting wet—it’s about getting truly clean, head to toe. Washing your whole body helps keep you healthy, fresh, and feeling your best. It’s especially important to remember areas we might forget, like behind the ears, where dirt can hide. When you take the time to wash thoroughly, you’re showing respect for your body and responsibility for your personal care.

In a cozy cave tucked between two pine trees lived a cheerful little bearcub named Benny.

Benny loved climbing trees, chasing butterflies, and rolling in the grass. But there was one thing Benny didn’t love...

Bath time.

Whenever Mama Bear filled the wooden tub with warm water and bubbles, Benny groaned.

“Do I have to take a bath today?” he’d whine.

“Yes, Benny,” Mama would say. “You’ve been playing in the dirt all day. You need to scrub clean.”

“But I don’t feel dirty,” Benny argued.

Mama just handed him a washcloth and smiled. “You might not feel it, but it’s there. Especially behind your ears.”

Benny would splash around, dunk his paws, maybe rinse his belly—but he never really washed his ears. Or behind them.

“Why do I have to clean behind my ears?” he asked one day.

“Because dirt and sweat love to hide there,” Mama explained. “Even if you can’t see it, it’s there. And if you don’t clean it, it can get itchy or even smelly.”

“Eww!” Benny giggled. “Smelly ears?”

“Yes,” Mama nodded. “And we don’t want a bear with stinky ears in this cave.”

Benny laughed but still didn’t take it seriously.

One morning, Benny woke up with an itch. He rubbed behind his ear. It tickled. He scratched again.

By lunchtime, both ears itched.

“Hmm,” Mama said as she checked him over. “Looks like someone hasn’t been washing behind their ears.”

Benny looked down. “I guess I forgot…”

That evening, Mama ran a warm bubble bath and handed Benny his washcloth.

“This time,” she said, “I want you to wash every part of you. Start at the top and don’t forget your ears—and behind them too.”

Benny climbed into the tub and sighed. He dipped the cloth in the warm soapy water, wrung it out, and started with his face. Then he washed his neck, shoulders, arms, belly, and legs.

Finally, he took the washcloth and carefully scrubbed behind each ear.

“Ouch! A little scratchy,” he said. But when he rinsed, it felt so much better.

The next morning, Benny woke up feeling fresh. His ears didn’t itch. They smelled like pine soap and clean fur.

He raced to breakfast and said proudly, “Mama! I washed everywhere last night. Even behind my ears!”

Mama gave him a big bear hug. “I’m proud of you, Benny. Taking care of your body is part of growing up.”

That day, Benny played in the mud, rolled in the grass, and climbed trees until sunset.

And do you know what he did before bed?

He took a warm bath, sang a silly song, and carefully scrubbed behind his ears, with no reminders at all.

From that day on, Benny was known as the Cleanest Cub in the Forest. He smelled sweet, felt fresh, and never had itchy ears again.

Moral Poem to End the Story:

When bath time comes, don't miss a spot,
Behind your ears can get quite hot.
So scrub with care from head to toe—
It helps you stay clean, strong, and glow!