My baby, the cautious consumer

I marvel at how observant she is. How curious. How thorough. She doesn't jump at every chance to use or consume something. She very carefully examines new things, looking over every detail, turning the item around in her hands, sometimes passing it from hand to hand to examine it more closely. Not until she is sure of what it is and what it does will she play with it, or chew on it, or eat it. If only more people were as slow to consume new things as my baby is! If only more people actually took the time to look things over from every angle, examine it in all lights - to fully understand an item's purpose or function before purchasing it.
Not all babies are like mine. Many will grab at anything within reach and eagerly try to eat it or play with it. If it's pretty, if it's new, if someone else has been playing with it, then it is desirable to them and they snatch at the first opportunity. Sound familiar? Most of my children have been like that. In fact, some of them still are.
Oh, that we would have the wisdom to be careful. To take the time to examine purchases, weigh them over, look at them from all angles, fully understand the item's purpose. To always look before we leap. My baby doesn't assume something is good just because we handed it to her, or she found it on the floor(what a bargain!). She takes the time to really check it out.
I can learn from my baby. And in these times when we all ought to be tightening our belts, I suspect I'm not the only one who could use the reminder that we ought to be cautious consumers. Many people desperately want us to spend our money on their products, and we cannot allow ourselves to be swayed by sales pitches and peer pressure into parting with our money unnecessarily.
"A fool and his money are easily parted." With God's help, may that never be said of me.