Aw, heck, if I didn't get a fat lip from one of my brothers at least once a year, I felt neglected. In retaliation I was the master of the stealth knife handle against the back of the head. Our butter knives had heft to them, let me tell you.

Okay, I'm an only child, so I'm going to have to bow to all of you with brothers and sisters who say it's perfectly normal for siblings to punch one another (or as Matt says, "beat the crap out of each other"). I will say that I've taken an informal poll around here, and people shake their heads at me and say that yes, there was a certain amount of roughhousing but they didn't beat on each other.

This morning as I was brushing my teeth one of the reasons that the interaction between Sam and Dean bothers me so much occurred to me - Sam doesn't fight back. Now I know there are those of you with a more comprehensive memory of everything Supernatural than I have and who will quickly correct me if I'm wrong, but until Sam gets out of Bobby's demon safe room and Dean confronts him, I don't remember Sam fighting back.

Some very mild spoilers (possibly speculation) from JA here. He also clarifies season six rumors.

Principal photography on season five begins July 2.

Happy. Making.

I will say that I've taken an informal poll around here, and people shake their heads at me and say that yes, there was a certain amount of roughhousing but they didn't beat on each other.

Well, yeah - but, sweetie, were any of them "raised as warriors"? And able to take down the school bully with mad ninja skillz at the age of twelve*? 'Cause I'm guessing no. (Unless you talked to ita.)

*Wee!Sammy must have been older than twelve in that ep, since Wee!Dean looked about 20, but I can't remember how old he was supposed to be, if we ever found out. 14, maybe?

My sister and I were very close in age (16 months), so we fought - hair pulling, hitting and kicking. I'm just guessing we two toddlers didn't have much sympathy for each other. But I do believe a few years between us might have seen a different, more caretaker dynamic on my part as the older sibling. It certainly was that way when I was nearly nine and my brother came along.

Oh, ditto - nine years between me and WeeSisterJay, and there was no physical fighting. Maybe some psychological torture (like lying in wait under her bed and then grabbing and biting her ankle when she woke up and got out of bed, so she screamed and screamed and screamed and grew up having to launch herself off the bed and across the room for fear of The Monster Under The Bed...) but no beating up type stuff.

I just can't buy Dean *abusing* Sam. Getting frustrated with him, maybe resentful of his caretaker role sometimes, sure. But everything I know about Dean goes against some kind of actual physical abuse.

My little brother was totally a scratcher, which was a BITCH.

I just can't buy Dean *abusing* Sam. Getting frustrated with him, maybe resentful of his caretaker role sometimes, sure. But everything I know about Dean goes against some kind of actual physical abuse.

...but I can't remember how old he was supposed to be, if we ever found out. 14, maybe?

The fact that they were both attending the same high school is interesting. They are more than four years apart in age, and one would assume Sam would be in the 8th grade (middle school) if Dean was in the 12th grade (a senior). But because they are both attending high school, this leads me to believe Sam might have skipped a grade and was high school freshman at age 13. He certainly had the smarts, so it's in the realm of possibility. Then in May, Sam would turn 14, while Dean would have turned 18 the January prior.

At least, that's how I'm reconciling canon for their schooling as shown in After School Special.