James Van Der Says That Having 4 Daughters Helped Liberate His Worldview

Becoming a parent certainly shifts your perspectives and priorities around— whether you're ready for it or not.

Men who have the experience of becoming a "girl dad" often discuss how their worldview was impacted when their daughters entered their lives.

James Van Der Beek is a four-time "girl dad"

James Van Der Beek and his daughter Olivia pose for photo
Photo Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for John Varvatos
Photo Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for John Varvatos

Actor and Dawson's Creek alum James Van Der Beek, 45, is no exception to experiencing the girl-dad epiphany.

As a father of six kids, four of whom are girls, Van Der Beek knows a thing or two about diaper duty and Disney princess films.

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The Van Der Beek family is 6 kids strong

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Van Der Beek became a father for the first time when his wife Kimberly Brook gave birth to their first daughter Olivia in 2010.

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Since then, the family has been slowly expanding and the couple secretly welcomed another boy (their sixth child!) in November 2021.

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Sundays are for manicures given by toddlers

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Young girl painting her toe nails wearing a Toy Story outfit.
Photo Credit: Rune Hellestad/Corbis via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Rune Hellestad/Corbis via Getty Images
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Van Der Beek recently uploaded a picture on Instagram that summed up how his Sunday was going.

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The father was in the middle of getting his nails painted a lovely pink coral shade by his 3-year-old toddler Gwendolyn.

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The sleepy 3-year-old is focused on her job

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James Van Der Beek and child painting his nails
Photo Credit: @vanderjames / Instagram
Photo Credit: @vanderjames / Instagram
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The two-part post includes a photo of the father grinning at the camera while his daughter focuses on applying the pink nail paint.

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Gwendolyn looks slightly disheveled wearing a sleep mask over her tousled blonde hair.

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"Pink is a cool color"

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Side by side image of little girl and her father while she paints his nails sparkly pink
Photo Credit: @vanderjames / Instagram
Photo Credit: @vanderjames / Instagram
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In the second part of the post, Van Der Beek shared a video clip of the impromptu nail salon.

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He asks Gwendolyn "How did you pick this color for me?" The toddler responds "Because I thought you would like it."

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Life changes after becoming a girl dad

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James Van Der Beek and wife Kristen Brooks in family photo with children
Photo Credit: @vanderjames / Instagram
Photo Credit: @vanderjames / Instagram
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Gwendolyn was right, her father did like the nail color.

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The dad-of-six wrote a lengthy caption on his Instagram post to share his thoughts about being a father alongside an anecdote from his days before fatherhood.

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"Surprise liberation from limited belief systems"

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Dad and daughter hold new born baby in hospital
Photo Credit: Jonathan Borba / Pexels
Photo Credit: Jonathan Borba / Pexels
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The post's caption starts with "#parentingperk: Surprise liberation from limited belief systems."

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Van Der Beek then goes on to describe how his worldview has shifted since becoming a parent but especially since having girls.

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A former director was once wearing black nail polish

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Director looking into movie camera
Photo Credit: cottonbro / Pexels
Photo Credit: cottonbro / Pexels
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The caption continues to explain that back when James and Kimberly were pregnant with their first child, the actor was working on set with a director who was wearing black nail polish on one hand.

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The dad recalls "It looked kind of emo, and someone commented on it."

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The director's daughter had painted his nails

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Director on set looking at monitor
Photo Credit: Kyle Loftus / Pexels
Photo Credit: Kyle Loftus / Pexels
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The director responded, "without an ounce of embarrassment - that his daughter had done it."

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Van Der Beek remembers wondering why he hadn't taken it off "before working with a crew of people who might judge him."

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Your perspective on what's considered "embarrassing" changes after children

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Man in red beanie holding young daughter over his shoulder
Photo Credits: Josh Willink / Pexels
Photo Credits: Josh Willink / Pexels
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The caption then shifts gears to Van Der Beek admitting "Now I get it. It's one of those things you can’t really convey to someone on the brink of having their first child."

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It wasn't until after his daughter Olivia came along that the new father realized "the complete ease with which you abandon [things] you once thought mattered (but probably never really did in the first place)."

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You become aware of things that didn't seem to exist before

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Dad and daughter build card board house
Photo Credit: Tatiana Syrikova / Pexels
Photo Credit: Tatiana Syrikova / Pexels
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The father also highlights "the simple joy you find in things that baffled you before you became a parent."

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Suddenly, things that you never paid attention to before becoming a parent are now part of your everyday routine.

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Watch the full clip of James and his daughter Gwendolyn

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Van Der Beek summarized his thoughts by saying "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."

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He included a heart emoji and the popular hashtag #girldad on the post.

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Fans praised the actor for his willingness to get his nails done

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Comments from Instagram
Photo Credit: @vanderjames / Instagram
Photo Credit: @vanderjames / Instagram
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Fans of Van Der Beek who viewed the father-daughter moment on Instagram left over 700 comments on the original post.

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The majority of comments praised the actor/father for his participation in activities like getting his nails painted.

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#GirlDads are taking over Hollywood

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Van Der Beek is not the only notable girl-dad in Hollywood.

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Other celebs like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Channing Tatum are proud #girldads who share updates on their family lives regularly.