Kids are kids . . .
And moms are moms; they know what’s good for kids . . .
Moms are moms; they know what’s fun for kids.”
We’ve decided to join the Throwback Thursday phenomenon this week with a slight twist. Instead of a TBT from First Five Nebraska’s archive, we’re pulling out a great 1980s Kool-Aid commercial with the kid many of us grew up with, Kirk Cameron. And not so coincidentally, tomorrow starts Kool-Aid Days in Hastings, where Kool-Aid was invented in the 1920s, with a weekend full of family activities during these waning days of summer.
In the ad, the catchy jingle provides a backdrop to a wonderful interaction between the Mom and her young daughter. The sweet way that Mom coaches the Shirley Temple-looking little sister to encourage her injured brother to play catch echoes what we know to be true about moms. They know what’s good for kids, and they will work hard to provide it for them.
This is important. According to Dr. Sam Meisels, founding Executive Director of the Buffet Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska, “The highest stake of all is our ability to help children realize their full potential.” In the ‘80s TV moment, that full potential was the confidence of a little sister to persuade her big brother to play catch, and the big brother getting past his injury and teaching his sister to catch the fly ball.
During these last few weeks of summer, follow Dr. Meisels’ advice and the example of Kirk’s TV mom: help your kids reach their full potential in both big and small ways, and enjoy every last drop of summertime fun.
