How to get a 3 year old to wear their Halloween Costume!

My three year old, Cash, has his Mama's humour, but he got his Dad's stubborn-ness. Getting him to accomplish ANYTHING he doesn't want to is a major feat. Sometimes I have to strategize weeks in advance when I know that I need to get him to do something without the painstaking task of convincing him, or worse -- forcing him, to do it.

It literally took me an hour -- AN HOUR -- to get him into the Halloween costume that WE chose last year. Listen, I'll admit that Mommy's a wee bit neurotic about Halloween. We rarely do the whole "storebought" costume thing, and maybe a three-year-old doesn't quite get the notion of what is REALLY the best part of halloween (the candy!): the validation!

It's EASY to go to the store and buy a costume, it's not-so-easy to come up with a funny, interesting and unique costume. When you do, people appreciate it! You win costume contests, you post pictures and your friends talk about it for weeks (hours).

Yes yes, I know, I am nuts. But these are the little things, people!

Speaking of little things: Getting back to Cash and trying to convince him -- in the most stealth way possible -- that the Halloween costume we (me) decided on weeks ago is still an awesome idea, after he's asked to be 50 different store-bought costumes since then.

Here's what I'm going to do to convince my 3-year-old to wear his costume this Halloween: 

1. No more costume stores! Don't bring your pre-schooler ANYWHERE where they can find different ideas. From now until Halloween I will avoid the costume section of Wal-Mart like the plague! This applies to everything from treats and puppies to toys and zoo animals. Out of sight: Out of mind!

2. Don't overdo it! Although we've watched Wayne's World six times since September, now that we're edging closer to Halloween I'm pulling back the reigns. The same concept as #1 applies here, if I show him that I really WANT him to do something, he'll do the opposite! Which leads me to...

3. Reverse Psychology! Starting a few days before the big day, I will start saying that I don't WANT him to be Garth (or Wayne, whichever he decides) for Halloween. Dropping it in at random times will make him think that I want him to be something else, so that when October 31st is actually here he'll be more motivated than ever.

4. Practice makes Perfect. Although I don't want to push the issue, getting him into the costume, the wig, the hat (if it ever arrives!) between now and the day may actually get him more used to the idea of it. Try on different pieces at different times and see what he thinks of them.

5. If all else fails? Bribe them. There's no shame in paying your toddler to wear their Halloween costume, is there? Yes? Oh well. I'm doing it anyway!