To think that children shouldn't be allowed to jump on this gravestone?

[hiddenhome]

I was in Durham Cathedral this morning and we were sitting in St Cuthberts tomb area. There is a small altar and then St Cuthbert's stone laid out flat on the floor with him underneath in his tomb.

Along comes mum, grandma and two kids - one looked about 12 and the other about 9 or 10. They just started running all over the stone and around the altar and the adults just ignored them and read the info on St Cuthbert instead You're not meant to go on that area at all and they ran onto the tapestry hassocks which line the tomb area too. Poor St Cuthbert

I almost said something, but bottled it 'cos I didn't want to cause an argument in the Cathedral Instead, I just sat and hoisted my judgeypants and glared at them, but they didn't notice.

AIBU to think this is disrespectful and that the adults should have said something?

(They couldn't do it to St Bede 'cos he's up on a plinth )

actually, video recording and photography are strictly forbidden in the cathedral

YANBU

It isn't just about whether the mum/children and whether you believe - it is about whether you care about your impact on others and their feelings as well. It strikes me that this particular family could not see that others might be offended/upset by their behaviour

By the way I was also bored in church - it doesn't make running round a saints gravestone the right thing to do

YANBU. Rude to the living and dead.

Yanbu it is massively disrespectful.

I have said this before but the other year we were on holiday in Whitby and the red arrows put on a display, we all went up the big hill to the cathedral and grown adults and children were climbing and standing on the gravestones to get a better view!! We wouldn't let ours and told them it was rude and not OK!!

At ds' last Christmas carol service the mum next to me was letting her 8 year old dd kick the bible in the shelf in front. Even though I lost my faith a while ago it irritated me. And then I was irritated that I was being judgey in church which is just as bad and got even more hufty.

Why cant people be respectful?

What about poor old Richard 3rd who has spent the last 600 years under a car park? (although obviously it hasn't been a car park for all of that time).

As someone else said, if you go to York you are probably dancing on bodies the whole time, there is so much history there.

Is someone in a marked grave worthy of more respect than someone in an unmarked one?

Yes, I accept that tombstones and graves are going to get trodden on from time to time, but it's just that this one is akin to a museum exhibit and there's also an altar attached to it. It's not just some scruffy piece of stone ifyswim.

Its not the grave per se its the fact that it is sacred and special to others.

Paleodad if you're a dad then it wasn't you because these two boys had women with them. They looked like mum and grandma.

hiddenhome: i know, it was just when i scanned the post and saw naughty kids, Durham catherdral, cuth's tomb, i thought 'argh'.....and then i read a little more carefully...

YANBU

Personally I dont think people should be walking/playing on tombstones and I am not religious. I hate seeing children jumping all over the war memorial in the Church yard too but almost everytime I go past ther are children playing on it. It just seems disresectful to me but people have different values.