Most of us have heard educators maxim that kids lose one to three months of academic learning during summer vacation.

Twenty years ago, a dress changed my life. I was living a modern-day Cinderella nightmare. The villain: my physically abusive husband. Instead of worrying some prince would never rescue me, I agonized over how to leave my pseudo soulmate without dropping out of the MBA program I needed to secure a future free of bruises and erratic terror. In the middle of this drama, a long-standing upper crusty friend took me to New York City.

I have a confession: I love Justin Bieber. But not for the reasons my daughters do.

Bear with me for a brief but essential womens history lesson.

At times our cultural angst reveals itself on the front pages of our national newspapers. Last Friday, USA Today presented its 3.3 million daily readers with a front page story about tween girls titled Growing Up Fast, But With Less Independence as part of its week long, dramatically titled Saving Childhood series.