Do you remember when you were four? Four is an interesting age. I know that because not only is Jack Henry four, but so is Maddie.

You’re certain you’re a princess. And princesses can do anything. Your favorite color is pink. You love Hello Kitty, but don’t understand the kitsch. Sometimes you play Thomas the Tank Engine with your brother Brady, or you might play dueling swords… But playing baby is much more fun. “I’m the mom and you’re the baby. Now go to bed baby,” is how you play. Your favorite dress is the pink princess dress that pop pop gave you. It has a hoop skirt. You sleep in it and bend the hoop. Daddy has to reshape it.

The art museum is your favorite place to go. You love the jumping game. When you go to dinner at the Thai Pepper you eat spring rolls and crispy duck. When mommy tells you to pick a book to read you pick three. You read to her. You point to pictures and say, “this is Grammy Gins when she came to visit when I went to the beach and then daddy gave me feshal (special) cookies and I ate all of them and they were yummy and then that’s the baby and it was time for the baby to go to bed but babies can’t have cookies before bed but babies get sippie cups with milk so I got…” you finish the story for mommy. You love cucumbers. And lemons you always finish your milk. You have two fish and two dogs. And a giraffe and a tiger.

Today you’re going to meet pop pop at the art museum for a very grown up lunch. You pick out your own clothes: you decide on an ac / dc shirt with a red tweed skirt, striped leggings and pink flip flops. You choose a polka dot sweater in case it gets cold. When it’s time to leave you go to the car and mommy opens the door. You jump inside, you buckle yourself into your car seat and you close the car door. When mommy gets in you remind her to put on her seat belt, her glasses, and to lock the doors.

Mommy drops you off at the museum where pop pop is waiting. You go inside the restaurant at the art museum with pop pop. They ask if you need a high chair. The answer is a resounding no. You sit down across the table from pop pop. You’re in a big girl chair. Pop pop doesn’t have to remind you to put your napkin on your lap. Pop pop orders you the penne pasta and you eat it with a fork. You don’t eat with your fingers. Only babies do that. Then after lunch pop pop takes you to the museum store and you get to pick out whatever you want. You pick a stuffed snake and name him Pome.

When you get home Brady wants to play Ninja Turtles and swords and jailers but you want to sit in the sun. You take off your clothes and put on your pink princess dress. You take your pink chair, your pink umbrella and your pink bag and go set yourself up on the deck. You rifle through your pink bag and pull out your pink gloves and put them on. You find your pink cat and sit him in the chair next to you. You open your pink umbrella and prop it over your head. You put on your pink Hello Kitty sandals and sunglasses. You pick up your copy of US Weekly and start to flip through the pages. Mommy comes outside and takes your picture.

Once you’ve had enough sun you come inside and watch Dora and Dego with Brady. Then you watch Scooby Doo. By the time Scooby Doo is over mommy has dinner waiting. Tonight you’re having turkey tetrozini and Caesar salad with real anchovies. You love salad. You find an anchovy in your salad and ask what it is. Mommy says it’s yummy. You eat it. “It’s salty!” you eat another one. You don’t want more noodles but ask for more salad. Salad is your favorite. Daddy says you need to eat three more noodles. You eat two. You can’t eat more. You ask to leave the table. What did you forget? “Please?” you leave the table and go get a book. You ask mommy to read it to you. But you can’t help reading it to her. And then you read her another book. And then another.

You’re supposed to go to bed at nine. But you don’t. At ten mommy says it’s definitely time for bed. You walk up the stairs yourself. You no longer need help. You turn the lights on in your room. Now that you’re four you can reach the switch. You push play on the DVD player and start a movie. You get into bed and mommy comes into the room. She gets into bed for snuggle time before going to sleep. She snuggles with you until you’re almost asleep and then she gets up and leaves, turning off the lights when she goes. After she’s gone you get up and turn the lights back on.

You’re four. You know that you can do everything for yourself. But it’s nice to know that mommy is there and will pick you up if you decide not to walk. She’ll save your food for later if you decide not to eat. She’ll cuddle with you if you decide not to sleep. You’re four. You know that you can tackle the world on your own. You’re a princess and princesses can do anything. But with mommy, daddy, pop pop, Grammy Gins and Brady, you know that you don’t really have to do anything on your own. Except go potty on the big girl toilet.

- taken from the life of madison virginia ring, dob 6/11/03

JACK HENRY BOUTIQUE IS ALSO FOUR YEARS OLD AND HAS A BEAUTIFUL BATHROOM THAT WE INVITE ALL FOUR YEAR OLDS IN THE WEST HOLLYWOOD AREA TO VISIT WHETHER IT BE IN CASES OF EMERGENCY OR FOR THE SHEER PLEASURE OF BATHROOM VARIETY.

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