Be like Mike

In 1991, Gatorade ran an ad featuring Michael Jordan that showed game film of him in midair moving the basketball from his right hand to left to score a difficult layup. The commercial shows him dunking and being, well, classic MJ and then cuts to young men and kids playing on a playground court. They imitate Jordan, right down to his stock and trade move of sticking out his tongue.

The commercial showed that every kid wanted to Be Like Mike.

Moves like MJ

I had my own Michael Jordan moment recently. Oh, I know I’ve influenced my own kids in various ways, but it’s always interesting to see it up close and personal.

My wife and I were traveling on a long road trip with our middle son a few months ago when we made a quick pit stop at a convenience store. When our son came out of the store, he had an energy drink, that is decidedly not me, but in his other hand, he had a Mallo Cup.

My wife let out a little laugh.

My son was taking after me. Most kids love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. They’re great, but I’m one of the few people who are partial to Mallo Cups, an American milk chocolate cup that contains whipped marshmallow and coconut center and comes in bright yellow packaging.

Gatorade Be Like Mike Commercial

A taste for chocolate

The Mallo Cup was invented by the Boyer Brothers in Altoona, Pennsylvania in the 1930s. They were looking for a way to survive during the Great Depression –– so they decided to start selling candy out of their own kitchen.

I was surprised to see the Pennsylvania-based candy so far from home, but I was more surprised to see my son pick it. When the kids were little, we warned them about eating candy and too much sugar. When we did splurge, they often preferred Skittles or other candies. When they chose chocolate, it was always Snickers, Hershey’s Chocolate, or a Reese’s Cup.

But here in adulthood, my son was following dear old dad.

In the fine details

Oh, liking the same candy isn’t all that big of deal, but it is interesting seeing ourselves in our kids. When we asked our youngest son about how things were going this semester in college, he raved about his roommates. I asked if he thinks he’ll room with them again next year.

He joked that he sees that happening, but he wants to look for a new place. Before I even said anything, he said he’s getting organized and creating a spreadsheet with choices and answers to key questions like utilities and parking fees.

Of course, I found myself smiling. When my wife joked that he sounded a lot like “Dear Old Dad,” he joked that, yes, it kind of bothered him, but at the same time, felt right too.

Yes, like father, like son.