Howard Normstrom, a 37-year-old engineer from Plainsfield, Arkansas, was arrested on Tuesday after it was discovered that his children were completely made up.

Howard says he started the ruse when shopping for sugar cereal roughly six years ago. Howard recounts getting looks of disapproval from cashiers and other shoppers whenever he bought himself Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, or Sugar Splosion Balls. One day he casually remarked to a cashier that they were for his children, and to his surprise, the disdainful looks stopped.

“I was sick and tired of people looking at me like I was some kind of child,” says Howard. “I honestly don’t know why I said it. It just slipped out… like the time I called my college girlfriend by her mother’s name during sex.”

Howard found that pretending to have kids had other perks that fit his lifestyle. He could start buying action figures again without people judging him, watch Saturday morning cartoons with the volume all the way up without completely upsetting his neighbors, and order off of the kid’s menu to eat foods that made him feel safe.

In order to keep up appearances, Howard made sure to litter his apartment with toys and decorate it with various stains of unknown origin. He would keep pictures of toddler-aged Olson twins in his wallet as proof that he had children, who no one would recognize since society as a whole has completely forgotten that the Olson twins used to be adorable.

Howard was caught sneaking into a showing of the PG-rated film “Boss Baby” with two stray dogs that he dressed up to look like human children. His fellow moviegoers became suspicious when the dogs gave submissive barks at Alec Baldwin’s dominant, wolf-like voice. Howard will most likely be released since he did not commit any actual crimes other than being a total weirdo.

Written by J. S. Wydra: @jswydra

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