As moms, we have to pick and choose our battles, right? I select mine very carefully, and I have allowed by son to wear the same three outfits for camp for the past 7 weeks—because his wardrobe only includes 3 jerseys—and he wants to wear one every day. The mornings are crazy enough around here that the last thing I need is a showdown over LeBron James…

Then, last week, my husband told me it’s my fault that he wears the same thing every day—because I do laundry too much. My initial reaction was, “Do you know how many husbands wish they had that problem?” but then I realized he was right. So I came up with a solution… I still do laundry basically every day, but I now withhold the clean clothes from my son, leaving them in the laundry room until his drawers are empty.

OK, maybe it’s slightly Mommy Dearest, but hey, it’s working! My son is now wearing ALL of the clothes I spent a decent amount of money on at the beginning of the summer—and I’m no longer worried that his counselors will think he only has three outfits.

What creative things have you done to get your kid to do what you want, without them really knowing?