Everything she said about motherhood

Sandra Bullock welcomed her son Louis in 2010 and her daughter Laila in 2015

Sandra Bullock’s top priority in life is her children, Louis and Laila.

The Birdhouse The actress welcomed her son and daughter through adoption in her late 40s, and she believes her children came at the perfect time.

“I don’t know why that was the only route, but I’m so glad the universe kept me waiting,” she said. Red Table Talk in 2022. “I had to wait, even though I was anxious and eager – and it didn’t work out, you’re not going to do it the way you think you’re going to do it.”

Raising her children has been a great source of pride for Sandra: she considers herself ‘lucky’ to be able to watch them grow up and to do that she has taken a step back from acting to be with them.

“I’m not retiring, I’m just not going to spend time in front of the camera for a while. I have beautiful babies. I’d rather look at them,” Sandra said PEOPLE (the TV show!) in 2022. “I’d rather look at them every day and let them be mad and annoyed at me and make memories with them for now.”

From continuing to learn about her children’s personalities to witnessing their bond with each other, here’s everything Sandra Bullock said about raising her children, Louis and Laila.

Louis Bardo Bullock, 14

Sandra welcomed her son Louis through adoption in January 2010 when he was 3.5 months old.

Speak with Todaythe Ms. Congeniality actress opened up about the bond she felt with him years before he was born in Louisiana. “Katrina happened in New Orleans, and I knew it – something told me my child was there. It was weird,” she remembers.

When they met, Sandra described their immediate bond with PEOPLE. “He’s just perfect, I can’t even describe him any other way,” she said. “It’s like he’s always been a part of our lives.”

These days, Louis is “a crazy foodie,” according to Sandra.

“He started out as a mixologist and was really into mixing drinks,” she explained Live with Kelly and Ryan in March 2022. “Had a cocktail book, no alcohol… then he started making boba… then he wanted to deep fry everything. Everything was covered in sugar… everything is food based for him.”

Over the years, Sandra has said there are challenges as a white mother of black children, but despite their different experiences, she has made it a point to discuss racial injustice with her children.

During her performance op Red Table Talkshe shared her thoughts about Louis growing up and conquering the world on his own.

“Now that Lou is a young black man, sweet, funny Lou will become a young man at some point,” Sandra said. “And once he leaves my house, I can’t follow him everywhere, although I’ll try…I pray and pray and pray that I’ve done my job well enough.”

In addition to being sweet and funny, Louis is also “super sensitive,” according to his mother.

“He looks like Shecky Greene, a Jewish Catskills comic,” Sandra joked In style in 2018. “He is wise and kind, I saw that when they handed him over to me. There was a spiritual greatness in him. I thought, ‘I hope I’m not making that up.’ ”

Lou’s wisdom extends to his career advice for Sandra, and she trusts his opinion. She recalled an example of Jimmy Kimmel when she was considering a movie, and Louis advised her not to take the job.

“I was a bit out of place where Louis thought I should be… and he was actually right!” she said, noting that when the film came out, the reception was “unfortunate.”

Despite being her unofficial manager, Louis doesn’t prefer watching his mother’s films.

“I’m not his thing,” she said, adding that he prefers Spider-Man or Japanese anime. “He’s eleven and he has really good taste.”

Laila Bullock, 11

Sandra completed her family in 2015 when she welcomed her daughter Laila through adoption at the age of 2.5.

“When I look at Laila, I have no doubt that she should have been here,” she told PEOPLE.

Her son was very supportive of the addition, with Sandra saying he “led the whole trip.” Louis quickly went to his new sister, who was previously in foster care in Louisiana, and expressed his concern when the Child Protective Service (CPS) stopped by for a visit.

“They were there to make sure Laila was okay,” Sandra explained to PEOPLE. “He replied, ‘You’re not going to take her, are you?’ And in that moment I knew I no longer had to worry about whether I had found the right match. It was clear that I had.”

Yet Sandra knew [Laila] was scared… all I wanted was for her to get to know Louis and for me not to go anywhere,” she said, adding that her daughter “brought pink and glitter into the house, mixed with Legos and Batmans.”

Aware of Laila’s early years, Sandra took classes for supporting children from the foster system, which made the actress aware of Laila’s “triggers.” It also gave the mother and daughter the tools to deal with certain behaviors, such as hiding in the closet.

“It was very hard to separate yourself and not get hurt because all you want to do is love,” Sandra continued Red Table Talk of the times she couldn’t comfort her child. “But guess what? Your love won’t cut it at that moment.”

Today, Laila has grown into her own person and has gradually learned how to deal with conflict. In 2022, Sandra told PEOPLE that she and Channing Tatum kept getting calls from their children’s preschool because Laila and Everly had several disagreements.

“Our daughters got into trouble at school because they are both very, very, very strong-willed little girls,” Tatum said. Vanity fair in 2023, clarifying that the girls “love each other now.”

According to her mother, Laila’s personality is accompanied by great intelligence. Sandra even believes that her daughter will one day “become President of the United States.”

“It’s just a fact,” she continued PEOPLE (the TV show!) in November 2021. “I’m going to do some renovations [at the White House].”

Laila also seeks adventure. “Everything is an extreme danger sport for her,” Sandra said Live! with Kelly and Ryan. To make her happy while touring, the mother must “find those elements” that she can enjoy.

Overall, Sandra describes her daughter as a “fighter” who “just isn’t afraid.”

“Oh my God, what she is going to achieve,” Sandra said In style in June 2018. “She will bring real change.”

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