 The second and more important friendship was with Fanny ( Frances ) Blood , introduced to Wollstonecraft by the Clares , a couple in Hoxton who became parental figures to her ; Wollstonecraft credited Blood with opening her mind . Unhappy with her home life , Wollstonecraft struck out on her own in 1778 and accepted a job as a lady 's companion to Sarah Dawson , a widow living in Bath . However , Wollstonecraft had trouble getting along with the irascible woman ( an experience she drew on when describing the drawbacks of such a position in Thoughts on the Education of Daughters , 1787 ) . In 1780 she returned home , called back to care for her dying mother . Rather than return to Dawson 's employ after the death of her mother , Wollstonecraft moved in with the Bloods . She realized during the two years she spent with the family that she had idealized Blood , who was more invested in traditional feminine values than was Wollstonecraft . But Wollstonecraft remained dedicated to her and her family throughout her life ( she frequently gave pecuniary assistance to Blood 's brother , for example ) . 
