After my last layoff, I elected to stay out of work for four years and devote my time to my family. I need to go back to work now. The economy is as bad as I have ever seen it and opportunities are thin. I'm healthy, well educated and have a decent work history otherwise. How do I best address questions about the down time?

How do you address your down time? Well I think you did it aptly, devoting time to your family is a really good reason, especially in our fast paced work environment. You need not feel ashamed, when asked, to say that.

I believe it was Will Rodgers who said, "If you tell the truth you don't have to remember what you said.".

Tickle is correct. There is nothing wrong with your work history. If some company has a problem with it, you didn't want to work for them anyway.

I agree with both, but especially the first response. How do you explain 4 years off? 4 months maybe.
There is nothing wrong with devoting time to your family. I have turned down 2 different positions and one job, that would pay me considerably more money, but would take me away from the family. I had to weigh it out and the family won. My teens now, I think, got the better deal and I hope they will be grounded adults that dad was around. In a few years I will think about moving up the corporate ladder.

Good luck.

You got a good answer, tell them the truth, The main thing they will be worried about is not your 4 years out, but if you may decide to quit and go back home. So making sure they know you are committed to moving up that ladder is important.

Just remember it is just tough out there right now, so you may have to send out 10 times as many resumes before you find something right now