Just when you thought your children were spending too much time on frivolous pursuits, such as watching television, 13-year old George Hamilton of Amherst comes along and saves his mother's life using a lesson he learned on an episode of NBC's sitcom, "The Office."

George says he had the Bee Gee's 1977 disco hit "Stayin' Alive" in his head, and it set the rhythm for the CPR compressions he administered to his stricken mother, Claire Hamilton. The two had been watching a movie on a recent Friday night when she suffered a seizure-like attack.

George said he has seen the character Andy Bernard advising his boss, Michael Scott, to use the song to guide him while he performed CPR. Though the show was a comedy, there was nothing funny about what was going on in the Hamilton house, where mother and son were alone when the crisis occurred.

When his CPR attempts failed to revive his mother, George called 911 and calmly followed instructions until help arrived. Paramedics delivered an electric shock with a defibrillator to jumpstart Claire Hamilton's heart and then rushed her to the hospital.

Amherst Fire Chief Walter "Tim" Nelson says the eighth-grader's actions were critical. Claire, who is recovering at home, says the reason for her medical emergency is still being explored.

"It's not tough to use CPR," Nelson said. "It saves a life. And this kid saved his mother's life."

It's a good lesson for all of us to absorb.

Though others have praised his composure, George says he was scared. "I got pretty upset," he told reporter Ben Storrow. "I thought she was going to die."

Of course, he must have been terrified, but he did all the right things, partly because he was able to stay cool. Maybe having that bouncy song in his head contributed to that. And now, thanks to him, he and his mother can share more movie nights.

Claire Hamilton, 52, is a professor of early childhood education at the University of Massachusetts. She is rightfully proud to be raising such a mature child.

At first, she says, she thought the Bee Gee's song connection to CPR was just a sitcom joke. But when she checked it out online, she found that some medical sites use "Stayin' Alive" to teach the procedure. Nelson says he hasn't heard of that, but can see how it would be helpful. Using something familiar can enhance learning, he points out.

It just goes to show, we pick up useful lessons in the most unlikely places. Television is not such a wasteland after all.