James Van Der Beek says being a girl dad gave him "liberation from limited belief systems"

Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek posted a pic of his daughter painting his nails: “Surprise liberation from limited belief systems.”

James Van Der Beek Says Being a 'Girl Dad' Has Allowed Him 'Liberation' from Ideas of Masculinity. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdg6aL9utl7/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

The actor, 45, shared a post on Instagram Friday of his daughter Gwendolyn, 3½, painting his nails light pink. Alongside a shot of his little one partaking in the beauty regimen, Van Der Beek also shared a video of himself cheering on his kid’s nail painting skills. You can see the post below!

Being a girl dad changed James Van Der Beek

In the caption of his post, the Dawson’s Creek star wrote, “#Parenting perk: Surprise liberation from limited belief systems.”

He then proceeded to tell a story from when he wasn’t a father yet and how having a daugther changed him for the better.

“Way back when we were pregnant with our first, I was on a set where the director had nail polish on one hand – black. It looked kind of emo, and someone commented on it. He said – without an ounce of embarrassment – that his daughter had done it, and I recall wondering why he hadn’t taken it off before working with a crew of people who might judge him.”

“Now I get it,” he continued.

“It’s one of those things you can’t really convey to someone on the brink of having their first child: The complete ease with which you abandon shit you once thought mattered, (but probably never really did in the first place)… and the simple joy you find in things that baffled you before you became a parent.”

“Which is to say… if you think I’ll be removing this pink nail polish before pouring concrete with a few friends tomorrow… then you probably don’t have kids. ❤️ #girldad“