A frequent question/statement I get from people once they start to know me is, “How do you do it all?” or “I don’t know how you do it.”I have five children under 11 years old, and four of them have autism spectrum disorder, requiring they receive special therapies and school curriculum. My role as WBJ […]
A frequent question/statement I get from people once they start to know me is, “How do you do it all?” or “I don’t know how you do it.”
WBJ Editor Brad Kane
I have five children under 11 years old, and four of them have autism spectrum disorder, requiring they receive special therapies and school curriculum. My role as WBJ editor typically has me working 50ish hours per week, and my home in Wilbraham is about an hour commute one way. I occasionally run marathons and half marathons.
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This seems like an overwhelming amount of responsibilities; but – honestly – I’m not the one shouldering the bulk of the workload. The real reason I can do it all is because I have an awesome wife, who is the one who really does it all.
Sarah Kane doesn’t have a professional career of her own, eschewing her teaching job about 10 years ago to dive headfirst into being a loving mother to five adorable (but also challenging) children. Since our youngest child is still only 10 months old and won’t take bottles, he needs to breastfeed in the middle of the night, which means Sarah’s job never really starts or stops. Her being a stay-at-home mom is a 24/7 demand on her time and talents.
And, Sarah is fantastic in this job, particularly with juggling everything. With this many children with this many needs, each day (each minute, really) is a decision between doing the dishes vs. fighting for extra school services vs. playing with the baby vs. managing therapists vs. prepping dinner and school lunches, etc., etc., etc. But Sarah does it all with love and understanding, making difficult choices in situations where there is no best answer and never enough time during the day.
Every year when WBJ announces its Outstanding Women in Business, my thoughts inevitably drift to the role my wife plays in our lives. The six honorees you will read about this year all have remarkable achievements and are furthering the cause of women in the workplace. The award is well deserved. Yet, as we write about these achievements, at some point I will think about how Sarah receives no pay and no recognition for a demanding job I couldn’t do consistently for more than a week without losing my mind.
We all have outstanding women in our lives, and I have one of the best.
