Allow Dependency Controller fields to be editable on C360 without their children

I just ran into an issue where I have used the same Dropdown List for two different fields on two different objects, not knowing that the Dropdown Dependency was going to make the Controller field uneditable from C360 unless I also included the two children on the attributes layout as well. 

Use Case:

I have a Company field called Client Status that I need to be editable from C360.

I also have a Timeline field called Client Status that I need to be editable from Timeline.

Both of these currently use the same dropdown list because they require the same values.

On Timeline, I need for two additional fields (Client Status Reason and Client Status Subreason) whose dropdown lists I need to  pre-populate with specific values depending on the value of Client Status, so I created Dependency Mapping as follows:
 

The Timeline path works just fine/as expected.

When I add ONLY the Company::Client Status field (the Controller) to a C360 Attributes section nets me this result when I try to make it editable.

If I create fields and add the two dependency children dropdowns (Client Status Reason and Client Status Subreason) and make them both editable on C360, then I can make Client Status editable.  But I don’t want/need Company fields for those two child fields - I only need them on Timeline.

QUESTION #1: Why does the dependency seem to work backwards? Why can’t I edit a Controller field from C360, irrespective of the two dependent children?

Then to make issues even weirder…

When I add ONLY the Timeline::Client Status field (the Controller) to a Timeline Activity - I have no such blocker on editing it! 

QUESTION #2:  Why is it ok to edit this on the Timeline record irrespective of the two dependent children but not the C360?
 

I would chalk this up to a lesson learned - don’t use the same dropdown list across more than one field… but the lack of cohesive functionality here is just plain odd. 

I hope this is addressed in the new Horizon C360… otherwise, please make this make sense!

Also, I cannot even delete dependencies to undo this mess!!