It is important for loved ones to not only educate themselves about this condition, but to seek support and counseling for their own well-being. Anorexia nervosa does not exist in a vacuum. It is maintained by family dynamics. Parents and loved ones should not blame themselves for a child's anorexia. Dysfunctional families can produce healthy offspring, and the healthiest families sometimes produce anorexics.
Most people bring up their daughters as best they can.
Everyone makes mistakes. Although there is a natural impulse to feel guilty, punishing yourself for a child's anorexia solves nothing and is detrimental to your health. It's like two people with normal eyesight torturing themselves for having a blind baby. I was furious with my anorexic mother for years after her death. I blamed her for many of my personal difficulties.