John Travolta and Kelly Preston enjoyed a kid-free night out recently for the premiere of her movie Death Sentence, in theaters now.

Just because they were without son Jett, 15, and Ella, 7, the kids are always on their minds.

“It’s tough to be a parent anywhere,” John, 53, says. “I think there’s some advantages that Hollywood people have for encouraging privacy and home-schooling. We get to control our environment a little better even though it looks like being famous you’re less controlled. We actually in some ways get to control it better.”

What’s the best part about being a mom?

“Just the closeness and the fun and the joy they give you on an every-moment basis,” Kelly, 44, told me. “It’s just so wondrous. There’s so many clichés, but it’s really seeing things through their eyes, or the hilarious ways they’ll perceive something. Their take on it is so completely astute. Kids say the wildest things. Well, they really do, and they nail it all the time.”