Children climbing on the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. Is this disrespect or innocent fun?

I think it's both. It's innocent because kids don't know any better, but disrespectful because the parents don't teach them respect

I fault the parents 100% and the children zero. Respect for these things must be instilled in our children and their lack of respect is evidence of their parents not having any. The picture of the vet in the wheelchair says it all.

I love the look on the WW II Veterans face and the guy pushing him. I imagine him saying something like " Your daddy should be neutered so he doesn't further contaminate the world"

Can't blame the kids, they don't know any better...and that's the problem.

My reaction is exactly that of the man on the right pushing that Veteran in the wheelchair. Aghast.

The children do not know any better, but the parents do/should. I would hope that a visit there would serve as a teaching experience not a Gymboree session.

As the parent, MY children would not be allowed to climb this important memorial. The children are innocent, and do not understand the cherished value, but as a parent i would explain, teach, and instill is meaning.

There would be no way in hades my children would be allowed to disrespect the symbolism of the souls that are held within its facade. My children, my responsibility to teach then respect.

Adding that I'd decide whether to request that the parents kindly remove their children, and if they got belligerent I'd find a curator, or enforcement to ask them in a more, "encouraging"manner. There's no room for this...

I find it to be very disrespectful. However, I put the blame on the parents because it's their ultimate responsibility to teach their children the difference between right (respectful) and wrong (disrespectful).

I'm with SSG Robert Burns 100% on this one. Kids are going to be kids and climb the un-climbable and break the un-breakable..... almost like that little booger picker who burned the Purple Heart medals.

(Un)Parenting 101 danger sign: Children disrespecting memorials can be hazardous to parent's health.

I am going to partly agree, and partly play devil's advocate;
1. Kids are 100% NOT at fault, kids are doing what kids do best....in fact I am HAPPY to see kids that KNOW HOW to play outside....
2. BAD parents.... need to help their children understand respect for monuments and prevent this from happening.
3. (Devil's advocate time) Bad PLANNING. I myself have never been to Washington DC (my bad...), but I always see photos of monuments, special places of remembrance, Museums, White House, Congress.....blah blah blah.... people take vacations there, kids are part of the family right?? So they go also. Exactly HOW MANY Memorials, Monuments, Places of remembrance, White House, Congress, etc can you expect a child to visit AND maintain a respectful attitude? Is there a PARK? Playground? ANYPLACE for kids to run off their stink besides the monuments et. al.??

One of a couple things needs to happen... BUILD the kids a place to exercise their rights to be kids without pissing off the 'old farts' that want to remember or revere these places, OR all the 'old farts' need to become a bit more forgiving and allow kids to be kids and ENJOY the monuments in THEIR style.... only other option I see is letting them play in traffic on Pennsylvania Blvd.

Another thought: Let's extend this out away from Washington DC.... Parks that have a Tank or Field Artillery piece.... are these not also Memorials in most cases? How many of us have played on them....holding back the hoards of bad guys? I know I did!! Everyone of us needs to hold our head down in shame for playing on these or allowing our kids to play on them.... they all have some type of plaque on/around them.....

Children by themselves don't possess the wisdom to understand disrespect. A parent, on the other hand, should have the presence of mind to use this as a teaching moment.

If the parent(s) is/are allowing this, then the parent(s) is/are disrespectful cur(s) and they are deepening the decline of the country.

I agree with all the posters who fault the parents not the kids, but I would caution one thing: we don't know from the snapshot how long this went on. For all we know, the parents turned around, found the kids doing this and jerked them out of their shoes. Or they may have let it go on for half an hour. We can't tell from a picture.