Watching too much TV isn't great for kids[1] , but in this case, it saved a life.


According to KABC[2] , 7-year-old Amira Thorton saved her mom, Jennifer, from choking to death by using the Heimlich Maneuver -- a move she learned by watching the 1993 Robin Williams comedy[3] , Mrs. Doubtfire (and also, from her grandfather who taught her exactly how to do it).


For those who don't remember the movie, which turns 20 years old this month (!), the scene that stuck with Amira is one in which Robin Williams, dressed in drag, runs over and performs the technique on another character[4] . Great for humor, yes, but also exactly what Amira needed to remember to do when she heard a weird nose coming from the kitchen -- her mother choking on a sausage.


"I picked her up three times," the young hero told KABC[5] .


Click over to KABC for the full story. [6]


And Amira isn't the first child to save a life, thanks to skills she learned on TV. Last June, 7-year-old William Ruhno saved his friend from choking on a pretzel[7] . According to News 12, he remembered the Heimlich from Sesame Street, and performed it just in time to save his friend's life.


So, time to set those DVRs?







Loading Slideshow...



  • 13-Year-Old Steers School Bus Safety


    <a href="http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Students-stop-bus-after-driver-suffers-heart-attack-146672835.html" target="_hplink">After a bus driver responsible for 15 middle-school children suffered a medical emergency </a>and lost consciousness, Jeremy Wuitschick grabbed control of the steering wheel and guided the vehicle to safety, KOMO News reports. <em>Read the full story <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/washington-middle-school-_n_1413501.html" target="_hplink">here.</a></em>




  • Dog Saves Baby From Drowning


    When Patricia Drauch found her 14-month-old son, Stanley, floating in the pool in the backyard, <a href="http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/sw_mich/Mom-Dog-saved-baby-son-from-drowning" target="_hplink">her worst fears were relieved</a>, News 8 reports. The family dog, Bear, was balancing the little boy on his back to help keep his head above water.<em> Read the full story <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/26/dog-saves-baby_n_1627450.html" target="_hplink">here.</a></em>




  • Kids Warn Worshippers At Sikh Temple Shooting


    When Amanat Singh, 9, and her brother, Abhay Singh, 11, realized the popping sounds they heard outside of their Wisconsin temple belonged to a gun, not fireworks, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/08/hero-kids-saved-lives-at-sikh-temple-massacre/" target="_hplink">they quickly raced inside to warn the worshippers,</a> allowing some enough time to take cover, ABC News reports. <em>Read the full story <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/09/heroic-kids-think-quickly-save-lives-sikh-shooting_n_1761272.html" target="_hplink">here.</a></em>




  • Girl, 10, Translates CPR Instructions To Mom


    When Cynthia Almendarez's baby nephew was having trouble breathing, <a href="http://www.nbc33tv.com/news/national-news/young-girl-translate-911-dispatchers-instructions-to-save-her-nephews-life" target="_hplink">the 10-year-old calmly called 911 and translated the dispatcher's life-saving CPR instructions</a> into Spanish so that her mother could save the 2-year-old's life, NBC reports. <em>Read the full story <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/ten-year-old-cynthia-alme_n_1419167.html" target="_hplink">here.</a></em>




  • Bystanders Save 3 Children After Crash


    After a car plunged down a 10-foot embankment and flipped over, as many as 10 bystanders <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/01/utah-river-rescue-bystand_n_1178931.html" target="_hplink">jumped into the icy Utah river to help save three children</a>, the Associated Press reports. <em>Read the full story <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/01/utah-river-rescue-bystand_n_1178931.html" target="_hplink">here.</a></em>