“Being your father has been an amazing experience. I am better in every way because of your influence on my life.”

Dear Daughter,

I write this on the eve of your 6th birthday …

The love I have for you has changed my life. It has made me more patient. More thoughtful. More emotional. Seriously, kid, commercials about parenting make me cry now. And, finally, I am now more willing to comfortably express my opinions. I am a better human being because of you. For that, I am forever grateful.

When you turned 5, I knew that it would be a year of milestones, primarily because of your entering kindergarten. But, I could not imagine just how much age 5 would impact your maturation. In honor of this development, here are six things I love about you on your 6th birthday.

I love your concern.

Protesting. Challenging adults who are smoking around you. Telling someone about why eenie meenie minie moe can be problematic. Finding an act of kindness to perform each school day. You are a good citizen who truly works to make a difference each day, while learning from mistakes made.

I love your work ethic.

Your persistence while learning how to tie your shoe. Your time spent working on projects. Your willingness to create your own math problems without prodding. Staying 40-plus minutes after your basketball class to work on your shot. You are determined to improve, and you prove this each and every day!

I love how you express love.

Jumping on our bed in the morning for a hug, snuggling while reading a book, or just your saying how much you love me, I know I am loved as much as I love you.

I love your passions.

Reading. Basketball. Superheroes. Feminism. You love what you love with all your heart and work to become as knowledgeable as possible about those passions.

I love your poise.

From performing 10 songs for a cabaret camp performance to asking Zoe Saldana and Chris Evans questions in live broadcasts of Good Morning America with millions of people watching, you handle pressure and all our NYC adventures with such surprising ease. Seriously, people 10 times your age can’t handle these types of situations.

I love your creativity.

Simply put, you made a song entitled, Rainbow Disco Party.

Being your father has been an amazing experience. I am better in every way because of your influence on my life. You have evolved into an even more impressive young woman than I could have ever imagined. And you’re only 6.

I am so proud of you. I love you. Happy birthday!

–A version of this first appeared on The Brown Gothamite.