User blog comment:Cartoonprincess/Are Carly and Spencer *Too* Happy????/@comment-2246006-20110719110402

This is a weird question, but I'll roll with it.

Carly and Spencer are not too happy. The two are shown to have at least some contact with their father, and he is apparently being kept updated on events in Spencer's and Carly's lives (the exception being that he believes Spencer is still in law school). It's not as if they never talk to him and have no idea if he's alive. And on top of that, Mr. Shay seems to have a good relationship with his children.

Let's assume Carly and Spencer's mother is dead. People get over deaths in real life (at some point) all the time. People can still be very happy even though someone close to them is no longer with them. So, no, I sincerely doubt Carly acts peppy just so that she can hide her gut-wrenching torment, and I don't think Spencer has ever recently entertained thoughts of producing sculptures that reveal his inner depression. I think they're both genuinely happy people who have long since come to terms with the death of a family member and have moved on with their lives, even though they (probably) miss her.

As for Freddie: his father and mother probably separated before he was born. It's also possible that Freddie doesn't know who his father is because Marissa didn't actually have sex with anyone and instead went to a sperm bank. For all we know, Freddie could still be in regular contact with his father, but just never mentions him. After all, he's never had a reason to.

On a personal note: I do wonder what happened to all the absent parents, and I would love for Dan to tell us, but knowing what happened to them isn't essential.