We try to teach our kids to make good choices (even when we’re not around). We teach them the “family rules” — whatever those may be for our particular family.

Are we getting through? Some days, we wonder. And we know that our kids know that they won’t always be found out if they don’t follow the rules. (Got any doubts on that one? Remember when YOU were a teenager?)

That’s what makes this story even more heartwarming. Joy Bat’s daughter is now grown, but this Lake Forest, California mom still beamed when she shared this with me:

“Shawny was not yet 13 when the movie ‘Titanic’ came out,” says Bat. “Her dad and I had asked that she not see the movie, since it was full of sexual content and was rated PG-13.” There was a girl’s sleepover with her church youth group, and Bat was assured there would be no PG-13 movies shown.

“But Shawny called me from the home of the sleepover and said they were about to watch ‘Titanic,’ and she wanted me to talk to the mom,” says Bat. “Shawny had spoken up and requested that she be allowed to do another activity in a separate room while the movie played! She really wanted to see the movie, but she had taken the high road and been assertive. The girls ended up choosing another movie, and I was so proud of my daughter.”

I love food. I love wine. I’m nuts about all things Disney-related. So, really, honey, it’s a no-brainer: Take me to Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival for Mother’s Day, OK?

Although if you’d like to go sooner, I’m good with that, too… The Festival runs from April 16 through May 31, with lots of cool events. Tickets for the Signature events are on sale here.

If you’re really into cooking, check out the Napa Rose Cooking School with Chef Andrew Sutton. And there’s much more:

Daily Events

• Complimentary demonstrations featuring culinary experts and celebrity chefs, including Guy Fieri (love him! I’m a big “Triple-D” fan), Cat Cora and Robert Irvine
• Seminars that feature wine, beer and spirits

Signature Events (additional fee required)

Taste Food-Wine-Life May 29, 7:00–10:00 p.m.

Presented in “grand-tasting” style, this event offers delectable creations from Disney chefs, outstanding wines and live entertainment. Theme park admission not required.

Festival Wine Walks and Beer Walks Daily

Enjoy tastings of your favorites, and discover the flavor of new wines and beers as you stroll through Stage 12, at the Festival Showplace.

Winemaker Dinners

Fridays: April 23, 30, May 14 and 21
6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Award-winning wines paired with delectable culinary creations at Steakhouse 55, with Chef Jason Martin

Brewmaster Dinner

Friday May 7
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Join experts from Karl Strauss Brewing Company for delicious food paired with beers, at Steakhouse 55

Riedel Glass Tasting

Saturdays, April 24, May 28
6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
In this fascinating class led by an expert from Riedel, learn why the glass matters when it comes to wine tasting. Guests at this event will go home with a tasting set of four Riedel Vinum series lead crystal wine glasses.

Sweet Sundays

April 18, May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Enjoy Sunday morning buffets featuring elegant dessert items from acclaimed pastry chefs, at the Festival Showplace inside Disney’s California Adventure.

Taste Wine Like an Expert

Saturdays: May 1, 8, 15 and 22
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Entertaining education with Sommelier Joy Cushing of Napa Rose restaurant

Napa Rose Cooking School

Saturdays: April 17, May 1, 8, 15, and 22
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Executive Chef Andrew Sutton of Napa Rose leads guests in preparing a four-course gourmet meal. Guests receive a commemorative chef’s coat, embroidered with the Festival logo.

Whether you love to cook, want to learn more about wine — or just love to eat(!), there’s something here for you. Happy (early) Mother’s Day!

Do your kids have a PlayStation or an Xbox 360? Are you wondering if there’s any redeeming value in the hours that they spend transfixed by video games?

According to a new study published in the medical journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, regular gamers are fast and accurate information processors, not only during game play, but in real-life situations as well.

Researchers from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York looked at all of the existing literature on video gaming and found some surprising insights in the data.

They found that avid players got faster not only on their game of choice, but on a variety of unrelated laboratory tests of reaction time. Playing video games enhances performance on visual and spatial memory and on tasks requiring divided attention, they found.

Does that mean video games should crowd out homework, fresh air and exercise? Of course not. But it appears that a half hour of video-game fun now and then might just have a few added benefits.

I love this idea… Disney is inspiring families to volunteer in their communities during 2010. And they came up with a great way to do it. One million people who perform volunteer service for a participating organization will receive a free one-day admission ticket to a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort theme park.

To learn all about the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program, including how to get your free one-day admission pass, visit www.DisneyParks.com (U.S. and Puerto Rico) or www.DisneyParks.ca (Canada).

To enable people to sign up for an eligible volunteer project, Disney is working with HandsOn Network, the nation’s largest volunteer network. Part of the Points of Light Institute, HandsOn Network has 250 volunteer action centers across the country. They connect volunteers with more than 70,000 nonprofit agencies that need their help. Many of the opportunities are for projects that entire families can participate in together. (Kids must be at least age 6 to participate.)

And while you’re at your favorite Disney resort, be sure to pick up one of these cool new black-satin princess hats. I love the rhinestones on the front (especially the Mickey-shaped one at the very top of the crown). What better way to channel your inner Disney princess? (And you know she’s in there!)

The children’s theater program at our church puts on a Christmas musical every year, and my son has been in these productions since he was 5 years old.

But my husband? He’d never set foot on a stage, and I would have bet the farm that he never would.

But when the choir director asked him if he’d play Santa (with a bunch of lines!) in “Babes in Toyland,” Randy — bless him — said yes. What a wonderful family memory.

Matt gets to play the bad guy, Barnaby, and Santa tells him off and saves the day at the end of the show, which makes it a real hoot.

Thanks, Randy, for being such a great dad and for giving Matt — and me — this wonderful Christmas memory. It’s better than anything we could find under the tree.

I can’t wait to check out the new show Men of a Certain Age tonight. Because I’m a big Ray Romano fan. Because the promos are a hoot. And because I have a feeling I’ll see a lot of my hubs in these guys.

They’re the right age. They’re dealing with teenagers and wives. And Romano certainly has a talent for writing and working with terrific writers. Looking forward to seeing the world through a middle-aged guy’s glasses for a change.

I’m guessing my man of a certain age will love it.

I have to admit, one of my favorite movies of all time is “Bull Durham.” My husband loves it, too. And we’re all big baseball fans in our family. We even go to minor-league and independent-league games now and then.

I found myself thinking the other day, “Boy, I can’t wait ’till Randy and I can watch “Bull Durham” with Matthew.” Well, Matt is 13, and baseball fun aside, I’m just not ready for him to watch Susan Sarandon’s character, Annie Savoy, tie Tim Robbins‘  character, Ebby Calvin ‘Nuke’ LaLoosh (gotta love that name), to the bedposts.

Yes, we feel a bit alone in the wilderness on this one, because many of Matt’s 8th-grade friends are allowed to watch R-rated movies. Some of them have been watching them for years. But as I tell Matt, some parents just don’t care what their kids are exposed to “your dad and I have to do what’s right for our family.”

What are some of your favorite movies that you can’t wait to share with your kid when he’s a little older?

I’m not a huge fan of video games, but I will admit to having a bit of a Tetris addiction. So I’m happy to hear the results of a new study that determined that if I challenge my son to a Tetris tournament now and then, it might just be a good thing for both his brain and mine.

According to researchers who just completed a small study, playing Tetris can actually rewire your brain to make it more efficient. (What parent’s — or kid’s — brain couldn’t use a bit more of that?)

The non-profit Mind Research Network for Neurodiagnostic Discovery in Albuquerque, New Mexico performed the research. (NOTE: The study was funded by Blue Planet Software, the owner of Tetris.)

Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study brain activity in girls who played Tetris regularly for three months. They compared that data with the brain activity of 26 girls who did not play the game. The girls who played Tetris showed greater brain efficiency. The brain used less energy when it worked on familiar processing patterns.

Other studies have looked at how brain games can help older people as well, leading to Nintendo launching their “Brain Age” game for the Nintendo DS a few years ago. More research needs to be done in this field, but the results so far are certainly encouraging. Tetris, anyone?

As the hosts of ABC’s “The View,” Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd share a common bond: motherhood.

As mothers of varying ages and backgrounds, they express their thoughts and experiences with parenting, often clashing on their individual approach to rearing kids in an ever-changing world. Take spanking, for instance…

“A healthy fear, I feel, turns into a healthy respect later on.” — Sherri Shepherd

“I believe that there are some times when a swat is what you’ve got to do and it’s okay that other people don’t feel like that.” — Whoopi Goldberg

“Let me just say I believe you should never spank a child. I don’t think even a little. We’re putting out a message to the world and to women, who are at their tethered edge and who might lose control and say it’s okay to spank and then they go over the edge.” — Joy Behar 

Of course, a little controversy on The View is what it's all about. But what about when you go out with your mom friends? Does the subject of spanking come up? Or is it a topic you and your friends avoid?

Photo credit: Copyright Bob D'Amico/ABC (American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)