Welfare Bear

When a young bear is afraid to cross a creek for fear that when his feet get wet he will melt, there is someone around who will help.  The problem is that the bear never learns that getting his feet wet is actually a good thing and that constantly demanding help is depriving him of the satisfaction of becoming independent. The older he becomes the heavier he gets. Also the older the man becomes, the weaker he gets. Carrying the bear every time across the creek is inviting the two to a disaster when the man can no longer tote the heavy load.  What will happen when they both fall into the creek?  Why do the two not build a bridge instead?