What am I?

My little girl,

One day, when you're old enough to understand everything I write to you, you may find that I'm not the wise, able, and valiant father you think me to be.  I only pray your illusion doesn't crumble for I'll always be ready to walk through fire for you.
Today I'm going to tell you that the entire world needs to fit everyone into a label, and because we are all so different, there are many.  There are new ones every hour, it seems.
You'll hear the words jock, nerd, geek, burnout, and heaven knows how many other creative labels you'll come across.  I'm only giving you the ones I grew up with.
But the one that concerns me most, at least today, has to do with what you are.
The obvious answer would be that you are a girl, but the world wouldn't be happy with that.
You are American. 
Surprised?  I can already see your brow furrowed and even the little shake of your head as you think to yourself, "no kidding."
What I want you to understand is that it means more than you think.
Much like all your friends you're the result of a melting pot, one of the best qualities of this great nation.  You possess the type of logic that can only be attributed to your German roots; the beauty and humor of your Irish mother; the warmth and mirth of your Ecuadorian father; and somewhere deep within, you have the passion of the Iberian, the sentimentality of the Italian, and even the elegance of the Swede; and of course, the freedom to question, the freedom to believe, and the freedom to dream of the American.
You are American.
And with that in mind, you must accept certain responsibilities, for you were born in a country whose people confronted great evils to become the defenders of freedom.
The world saw the sacrifice of the greatest American generation that ever lived, so Europe can be freed from a megalomaniac during one of the darkest epochs of our world.  The first flag to fly on the moon is the Stars and Stripes.  Some of the most iconic symbols in existence are here in America and each is a  quiet testimony of the potential of its people.
But we're not without blemish and this is where you come in.  You inherit an America in low spirits, where its people no longer hold any hope in their leaders.  That'll be the cross my generation has to bear while you, you are the new hope.
If you wonder why I push you to read, to learn, to understand, it's perhaps because I know how much of a burden you'll carry once you're no longer a child.  I may have failed in leaving behind an America you'd be proud of, but I won't fail in preparing you to give you a better chance.
May you forgive me one day, my little girl, for the way we're leaving things for you.  But you're American by birth, and by God you, along with your brothers and sisters, will take on the challenges and restore your nation's integrity, and give all of us our pride back.
You're American, you'll never give up.
That's what you are.

Love you forever,

Dad.