16 Qualities I Admire About My 16 Year Old Son

On this day 16 years ago my first born son, Ezra, arrived.

I had no idea how much I would learn from my children. I don't think I had even a vague concept of how much I needed to learn at that point in my life. Ezra was born different, missing his left knee and left shin bone, and with only one finger on his left hand. We named him Ezra, which means the helper, the teacher. And he has always demonstrated some powerful personal qualities. Some of these were on display when he was really young, making me believe in nature maybe more than nurture. 

Here goes my top 16 list of qualities that Ezra embodies, in no particular order.... 

1. he's kind - he’s always been kind and polite to other human beings. At track meets he will thank the officials after his race or his jumps. People follow him because he includes them, motivates them, and engages them. 

2. he's coachable - this may be his secret weapon. It doesn’t matter what the subject, he is always ready and willing to listen to those who have more experience than he does.  His track Coach LaTi often shakes her head at how quickly he can turn her coaching into action and results.

3. he's generous - he doesn’t view life as a zero sum game. Thus, he sees resources differently. Years ago, when he was probably 9 years old, he made me stop and buy candy on the way to the airport so he could give it out to TSA and airport employees. They all remarked nobody had every given them any thing. It made me emotional to see his impact as he made his way through the airport.

4. he's determined - he was designing his own basketball workouts when he was a toddler, like 2-3 years old. He decided to start training for the Tokyo Paralympic Games a after watching the Rio Games on TV when he was 11. He stuck with that goal and now is on the cusp of being one of the youngest athletes in the world at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. 

5. he's honest - he doesn’t have a lying bone in his body. He always comes clean. He operates with a high level of integrity at all times. he's not a bullshitter. he's diplomatic, but he's honest.

6. he's loyal - he’s incredibly loyal to good people. You won’t find a more trustworthy friend. He takes care of his people. He has friends to this day from his younger days that he stays in touch with. I know his friends today will be his friends for life. 

7. he's confident - he walks tall, but not too tall. He knows who he is and is comfortable and confident in that. No easy feat for any of us, let alone a young man with a disability. 

8. he's empathetic - he feels the pain and suffering of others. He has always implored me to give money or food to the homeless. His desire to inspire, engage and support the disabled community at a global level is rooted in empathy and understanding for others. 

9. he's intuitive - he has an innate understanding of the world around him, people and social situations, and why things are the way they are. He’s been tapping into this more recently and it makes him even more grounded, and powerful as a human, advocate, and leader. 

10. he's funny - he’s not just funny, he’s clever funny. He’s a practical jokester. He finds funny in random places and he brings fun to any situation. As evidenced by his TikTok channel, he is, importantly, willing to make fun of himself. 

11. he's passionate - he gets pretty fiery when things don't go his way because he cares. He wants to be the best he can be at all times. I remember watching him run out to the middle of a soccer field at a track meet and lay down and cry because he didn’t get the result he wanted. He was maybe 10 years old. I was half smiling inside because I knew the passion he showed would take him far. 

12. he's curious - when he’s engaged with something, he’s very analytical and curious. He’s probably watched thousands, maybe tens of thousands of high jump and long jump videos. and he’s only 16. Nothing will get by here if he’s intrigued in the slightest. 

13. he's grateful - he is polite, respectful and always gracious to those who are around him. He says thank you. He truly appreciates people and those who help him out along the way. He hugs his prosthetist for helping keep him mobile. He thanks the security guards at his school. It's just ingrained in who he is.

14. he's responsible - he takes the long term perspective. He rarely makes rash, short sighted decisions. He understands he has a purpose on the planet. He owns it. There's the famous marshmallow study about the willpower of young kids and whether they wait to get a 2nd marshmallow or the eat the first one. He always waits for the 2nd one. 

15. he's courageous - he’s been public speaking since he was 4 years old. By 8/9 years older he was speaking to 18,000 people in huge arenas. He’s fearless. Even when he was younger it took courage to step out on the basketball court every game and know the other kids and parents were pointing and staring at him. He’s nothing if not courageous. 

16. he's self-aware - he knows himself very well. He’s aware of and controls his emotions. He doesn’t react to things, he takes them in and manages his response. Man do I wish I had that trait when I was a teenager... Actually, I wish I had it now!

So those are the 16 qualities that I admire about my son Ezra. There are definitely more than 16, but I had to keep it to 16 on his bday! I wish him the most amazing next 16 years as he works towards his goals in sport (he's training for the Tokyo Paralympic Games this summer) and beyond.

At 16, he's done more than most of us accomplish in our entire lives. He's been featured by dozens of national and international media outlets and co-founded @AngelCitySports with our friends and family. He has spoken to basketball arenas full of people and been on the Ellen Show. He was a finalist for Sports Illustrated Kid of the Year and holds dozens of national youth records in paralympic track. And he won two silver medals as a 14 year old at the Para-Pan American Games and was the youngest athlete on the track at the World Championships in 2019.

I simply cannot wait to see what he accomplishes next.

I'll be cheering him on every step of the way.

Here's to you my amazing son!

Love, Dad

P.S. - You can follow his journey on social @TeamEzra05. He's on linked-in as @EzraFrech and his website is www.teamezra.com.