We know: That wasn’t your cub going berserk at the preschool pizza party. But just in case, we asked local author and mom Christine Carter, Ph.D., who directs the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, for tips on transmitting the “skill of happiness.”

A Few of His Favorite Things
Tack a big sheet of paper to a wall at home and use it to list things you each feel grateful for. Chocolate. Bedtime snuggles. Being in this world. With time, gratitude builds.

Love to Laugh
When you’re exhausted or frustrated, find a way to laugh. It relaxes the body and helps ramp up your reserves, making it easier to connect and empathize with your little one.

Embrace Mistakes
In everyday conversation, talk about your failures and how you learn from them. Practice what you preach by stepping back to let your guy make and overcome his own.

And always bear with him.

Christine Carter’s new book, Raising Happiness: Ten Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents, is available online at randomhouse.com. Meet Carter in person at Lafayette Public Library’s Sweet Thursday series, March 11, 7:30 p.m. (952 Moraga Road, between Brook Street and Moraga Boulevard) or at Glitter & Razz’s parents’ workshop on March 20, 2 p.m. (5951 College Avenue, Oakland).

RALLY
California Public Education Day of Action
What: Parents, educators, and students march to the Civic Center to demand adequate funding for public ed.
Why: Our back is to the future.
When: Thurs., 3 p.m.
Where: Meet at the intersection of 24th & Mission Sts.

CATCH
Darby O’Gill and the Little People
What: A rarely screened Disney fantasy about leprechauns and love, starring a singing, pre-Bond Sean Connery.
Why: Your wish is granted.
When: Thru Mar. 27.
Where: The Walt Disney Family Museum, 104 Montgomery St., The Presidio (415-345-6800). Tickets online at waltdisney.org.

WHIP UP
Cheese Please Pizza Lunch
What: Chefs ages 5 and up make their own mozzarella cheese, harvest edibles from an organic garden, prepare pizza and salad, and eat the rewards.
Why: You dough, boy.
When: Sat., 10 a.m.-noon.
Where: Hidden Villa, 26870 Moody Rd., b/t Moody & Sherlock Cts., Los Altos Hills (650-949-8650). Register at 650-949-9704 or online at hiddenvilla.org.

Photo: Courtesy of Random House