Characterization
In the beginning of season five Dawn is portrayed as younger than her age of fourteen. She is seen to be immature and klutzy, breaking objects and keeping diaries. Buffy and Joyce also appear to treat her thus as they are shown finding someone to babysit her, something they later become relaxed with as seen in "No Place Like Home". Joss Whedon stated that Dawn was originally going to be a younger character, which the writing reflecting this, but after Sarah Michelle Gellar suggested Trachtenberg for the role they raised her age.
Responding to fan complaints of Dawn being whiny throughout Season Six, Joss Whedon says, "I scratched my head. I was like, 'Excuse me, she's been abandoned by about six parental figures. The girl has huge issues.'" However, he acknowledges that he and the writers hit "the same note for a while... We needed to make some changes." Whedon has expressed regret over not being able to go further with Dawn's character in season seven, but, as he says, "You get into a situation that you do like to stand alone 'Dawn Goes on a Date' is not something that people would really sit for."
Author Nikki Stafford saw the season seven episode "Potential" as an example of Dawn's growing maturity. She praises the character for taking charge and accepting the possibility she might be a Potential Slayer, and for quietly stepping back when she turns out to be wrong, without revealing how disappointed she really is. Stafford states, "Dawn has come a long way from the annoying adolescent she was in season five, and the screechy, difficult teen she was in season six ('get out, Get Out, GET OUT!'). She is a mature young woman, the same age as Buffy was in season one, but she is handling her problems with even more grace and acceptance than her older sister did."
Read more about this topic: Dawn Summers