Anderson Cooper, 53, proudly shows off son Wyatt Morgan

Anderson Cooper revealed in April that he had adopted son Wyatt Morgan.

And on Tuesday the CNN journalist and on-air personality shared a cute portrait with his boy as he talked about becoming a father at age 53 with People. This is the publication’s first ever Pride Issue.

The son of fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt revealed that ever since he realized he was gay at age 12, he thought he could never become a father which was heartbreaking for him. And now that he has a child, he says it is a ‘dream come true.’

‘When I was 12 years old and knew I was gay and thought about my life, it always upset me because I thought, “I will never be able to have a kid,”‘ said the journalist. ‘This is a dream come true,’ he added.

Now he feels like a new person.

‘It feels like my life has actually begun,’ said the star.

‘And I sort of wonder, what was I waiting for? This is a new level of love. It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced, and yet it’s also very familiar and incredibly special and intimate. It’s really extraordinary.’

He doesn’t even mind waking up every few hours for his boy: ‘I’m more tired than I’ve ever been, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.’

And becoming a father makes him feel a bigger responsibility about the world.

‘I feel invested in the future in a way I hadn’t really before,’ said the New York native.

‘There’s something about having a child that makes you feel connected to what is happening and you want to make sure that the world this child is growing up in is a better one. You suddenly worry much more about the future of all of us.’

Anderson co-parents Wyatt with his ex Benjamin Maisani, 47.