The original poster hit the nail right on the head: the biggest problem with VNC is NATting routers--it's practically impossible to get a n00b to successfully configure a router to allow VNC.

Gbridge (http://www.gbridge.com) is a free app that builds a VPN on top of the Google Talk network. All both parties need is Gbridge and a Gmail account. It supports all kinds of neat things like file transfers and such, and has a version of UltraVNC built in. It's got full access control, too. Very simple, yet very, very powerful.

It takes about two seconds for any novice to install. Three clicks and it's in. I've been using it for about six months, and I've been very impressed.

Nowadays parental controls are on practically everything you can hook up to a TV set. But most parents can't be bothered to learn how to work them.