when you have a relationship with another person, it means sharing your life, and all the good and bad, including parenting and financials, which Dean has obviously been doing.

Dean has obviously been contributing to parenting, and that was important to her, but I think quite rightly that Dean's happiness is more important to her than an additional parent. And we don't actually know what their financial arrangement was--I think it would be kinda irresponsible of her to have become dependent on him.

I think she was crazy to let the damaged man into her house and keep a gun under her bed with her young son down the hall, but the bit where she's ultimately responsible for raising her son and paying her own bills pings me not at all. If she were leaning on him more I'd be irritated--in fact, it pinged me when she threw the Daddy card at Dean during 6x01. Helping raise Ben is a gift from him to her, not a requirement.

Lisa knew about the monsters under the bed before Dean moved in. I find it surprising that she hadn't already asked him to teach her to fire a gun. If I were in her place I would have pressed for lessons in drawing a devil's trap and performing an exorcism besides.

I don't think she's financially dependent on him, or assigning him at equal responsibility for Ben; for ME, and I think many people, a relationship when you have a kid would require more than a LDR might offer.

I'm prepared to see; these are just my thinking on it.

But word, Laga; I would totally be all "You need to teach me basic precautions" even IF she was giving Dean the boot. Like installing carbon monoxide detectors or something. A sensible measure.

I think many people, a relationship when you have a kid would require more than a LDR might offer.

Why? She doesn't have to do any more parenting or spend any more money than before he showed up. This way, she gets laid sometimes.

We weren't shown a woman clinging to the tatters of a relationship, or anything. She told him she'd do fine without him, in contradiction to her (IMO unappealing) pleas of the previous episode.

I guess I just don't understand why a single mother needs more in that way. If she can adjust Ben to "he's not your Dad, but he gets to help out" it seems perfectly reasonable behaviour.

Signed,
Single and Childless.

SPN meta fan survey. One of those acafen things, you know.

She told him she'd do fine without him, in contradiction to her (IMO unappealing) pleas of the previous episode.

I didn't read that as pleading, though. I heard "Don't discount your contribution to this past year together, I was really happy," not, "Please don't leave us, big strong man!"

He was pointing out that he was a mess, and she was saying, yeah, well, sort of understandable, and you still did a pretty bang-up job as a member of this family.

Maybe I'm just projecting from my own view that I would be an awful single parent and need as much help as I could! Eh, it's no big. We'll see what happens with them anyway, I the show would be boring if it were the Dean, Lisa and Ben show.

I didn't read that as pleading, though. I heard "Don't discount your contribution to this past year together, I was really happy," not, "Please don't leave us, big strong man!"

Fair. But, see, Dean can't really look her in the face and leave right after she pulls the Dad card. But she doesn't necessarily know that. So I feel she got him in his weak spot there.

I would be an awful single parent and need as much help as I could!

But she apparently has done a really good job for most of Ben's life. Doesn't mean she didn't want Ben to have a father, but I think it's clear she doesn't need him to be that for her.

Interesting survey. I never really thought about why the fan-centric epsidoes were among my favorites.

...it's clear she doesn't need him to be that for her.

Which is why I'm a Lisa fan.