why were we taught to wash behind our ears as kids? It’s such an insignificant sized area from your body? Was it taught to everyone so kids with glasses wouldn’t be singled out?
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There was [an interesting thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ur8qy7/what_was_the_deal_with_the_important_of_cleaning/) on this in /r/Askhistorians recently. Emphasis on washing behind the ears of infants goes back at least to the 18th century. So certainly long before glasses were common and at a younger age.
Why cleaning behind the ears became so prominent culturally, I’m not sure. I’d guess part of the reason would be: 1) it’s an area that can trap dirt; 2) in the past children would have their head washed less frequently than now; 3) it’s an area that’s not visible to the child; 4) it could be visible to other people.
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