Danica McKellar: Why "The Wonder Years" still holds up

Danica McKellar is happy to be sitting on the sidelines watching this season's dancing hopefuls do their best strut inside the "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom.

The actress, who competed last season on "DWTS" with pro dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, finished in 6th place.

While attending the season premiere of the ABC series last month, McKellar had not one -- but two pals -- to cheer on: Lea Thompson of "Back to the Future" fame and "Mean Girls" star Jonathan Bennett, both of whom are still in the running for the mirrorball trophy.

"Lea Thompson is a friend. We did a movie together a couple of years ago," McKellar told CBS News, adding, "Jonathan Bennett is one of my best friends ever ever ever. I am so excited for him. He's texting me non-stop...I'm just so excited for him. I'm living vicariously through him again without having all the muscle pain, it's amazing."

McKellar, 39, said she loved her time on the show, but noted how challenging it was: "It's like...the feeling if you love to run but now you're running and someone's pushing on your back faster than you can actually keep up and you're just trying not to trip but you're sure you're going to trip any second...And you're dying -- you're muscles are dying, you just want to stop. Imagine that for three months straight with no days off. You finish and you're like, 'I think I loved that, but somebody get me a bed so I can just pass out!' That's kind of what I did. I just chilled out. I did nothing for like a month or two and enjoyed the fact that I could just do nothing. It was just amazing."

Despite the muscle pain, McKellar says she would absolutely do it again if she could.

Many "DWTS" viewers were first introduced to McKellar back in the '80s when she starred on another ABC show: "The Wonder Years." The series ran from 1988-1993 after debuting on Jan. 31, 1988, following Super Bowl XXII. Created by husband-and-wife duo Neal Marlens and Carol Black, the show co-starred Fred Savage, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Olivia d'Abo, Jason Hervey, Danica McKellar and Josh Saviano.

McKellar and Savage shared their very first kiss during that pilot Super Bowl episode.

"I was 12, and Fred was 11 -- and we were both completely nervous...I remember it like it was yesterday," said McKellar.

The show would go on to be a success -- in 1988 it scored an Emmy for best comedy series, and TV Guide named it one of the best series of the 1980s.

"The show has really held up," said McKellar. "I think the reason the show has had such great success for so long is because it did something that no other show had done before. It gave the story from the kids' perspective. It's not just because it had narration from a kids' perspective but it also honored the strong emotions that we had at that age. We often want to dismiss the bigness of the feelings you have at that age, the enormity of the rush of hormones, the angst, the sadness, the happiness, the elation -- our feelings are just stronger at that age. Christmas morning is never the same as when you were 6 years old...That show really honored those feelings. It made a big deal about what was a big deal at that age whereas a lot of shows are more about the parents and the kids happen to be there, too."

The cast got together in May (and took a fun reunion photo, too) in the lead-up to the upcoming DVD release of "The Wonder Years" filled with extras and new interviews with the cast.

"I like to say we were a family then and we're still a family now," said McKellar. "We're that kind of family where you don't always see each other all the time but love each other like family and when you do that's great."

McKellar now has a child of her own. She and her ex-husband, composer Mike Verta, welcomed son Draco in 2010.

"It's amazing. Every day is filled challenges and miracles. He's smart. He's interested in things. He's sensitive. He loves reading. I read to him every night," said McKellar, who recently got engaged to boyfriend Scott Sveslosky. "It's my favorite thing to do with him."

McKellar puts a major emphasis on education in her own life. She has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from UCLA, has published a few books on the subject and serves as an education advocate.

She recently linked up with Colgate's Smile for Picture Day initiative, a back-to-school campaign that uses the tradition of school picture day to promote healthy brushing routines year-round. McKellar says she's tried to teach Draco good brushing habits early on. Among her tips? Brushing together and bringing a child's favorite toy to the dentist.

And her secret tip for a good smile on picture day? Practice.

"I know it can be hard to get a genuine smile out of kids. I know my son when I say 'Smile,' he does that thing when he squints his eyes and shows his teeth."

So, she thinks it's a good idea to give children something fun to think about when their picture's being taken. "It can be an inside joke, or tell them to imagine the photographer is wearing underwear with rainbows and unicorns on it or something," she said.

McKellar, meanwhile, may be looking for some tips of her own soon -- for a different reason. She's tackling her first hosting gig and is about to shoot a pilot for the Game Show Network.

"I'll actually be the host for the first time, so that's fun," she said. "So I need to get some tips from ["DWTS" co-host] Tom Bergeron."

Heck, it sounds easier than a rigorous dance routine.