the mother of the household , recognizing the warning signs early , undertook the task of instilling the growingly unruly child with the same sense of solemn propriety that had been taught to her at an early age , but realized , upon attempting to do so , that the best result she could hope for was for the girl to graspeven superficiallyall the appropriate rituals of behavior that allowed her to keep appearances during social functions , so that she might not cause any undue embarrassment to herself or to her family .