Dawn: Judge Not (Baby-Sitters Club 2020 Fanfic)

Dawn: Judge Not

Kristy was childish.

Of course, Dawn couldn't hold that against her.

It wasn't because she wanted to be a part of the group either, but more of Dawn didn't feel she knew Kristy well enough to truly judge her, although in the back of her mind she knew there were other kids their age who would judge Kristy, even call her out for some of the tactless things she did.

Dawn was—Dawn was a non-confrontational type of person. Being non-confrontational didn't mean she wouldn't push back when needed, but that it took a lot to push her buttons before she would do or say anything, not to mention she tried to empathize with the people around her without judging them. Her mother also her how to deal with confrontation, to turn it around in one's favor

As such, when things got crazy over at the Barrett household, she turned Kristy's words about an experienced babysitter to her advantage, the same way she used Kristy's words about how to deal with—well, Kristy's tantrum. Tantrums weren't normal at their age, yet something told Dawn that Kristy was aware of the fact her behavior wasn't age-appropriate as she left the room so the adults wouldn't see what she did.

Yet, Dawn saw.

Her mind of course went to the fact that Kristy's behavior, such as the overly long probation which made definite sense when Dawn thought it would only be one or two babysitting jobs with three kids which were a tad more difficult than one might expect, not to mention how she became upset when her father made his daily phone call, wasn't normal or appropriate.

Yet—she remembered what Kristy told her.

"Sometimes people just want someone to listen."

So, she listened.

And, while Kristy's behavior wasn't appropriate, she also couldn't blame her for having such an outburst after seeing a dad be responsible. Not when Kristy's own was the exact opposite, yet there was also the impression that Mr. Barrett wasn't even in the picture, some kind of deadbeat dad, yet—

Mrs. Barrett was what Kristy's dad was, flaking out and taking off on her kids for the sake of her acting career. Mrs. Barrett said she simply wanted to prove to her kids that she was something, that she could be successful, and Dawn believed her, yet there was this feeling that Kristy and the others in the club believed the same.

And—

Kristy didn't react until the police mentioned they would need to talk to Mr. Barrett's ex-wife. The police didn't say what both Dawn and Kristy knew was implied, yet they knew. Mrs. Barrett crossed a line—a line which could lose her custody of her kids, which in turn would mean she'd lose the ability to see the kids when she wanted to—not that she did in the first place.

So, after Kristy said and did what she did, Dawn understood exactly why Kristy was triggered, although she would never, ever argue that throwing a tantrum there is a client's kitchen was appropriate. If any of the adults asked, she'd brush it off as Kristy being upset with the situation that their client's kids were in, a situation completely out of their control.

Perhaps—perhaps that wasn't the best thing to do regarding the situation, yet Dawn also felt that while Kristy let her listen, that she hadn't spilled everything that was eating her up and she was going to choose not to judge, and instead be a friend. Friend for now meant calming Kristy down rather than seeking to intervene, though she knew she would if it was needed.

If it was needed, she'd ask the other girls for help. "I know what it's like to feel like I don't belong, and I don't want Kristy to feel that way as well."