Sandra Bullock's 2 Kids: Everything She's Said About Motherhood

Sandra Bullock's top priority in life is her kids, Louis and Laila.

The Bird Box 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 had me wait,” she said on Red Table Talk in 2022. "Had me wait even though I was anxious and I was eager — and it went nope, you're not going to do it the way you think you're going to do it."

Raising her children has been a major source of pride for Sandra: She considers herself "lucky" to be able to watch them grow up and in order to do that, she's taken a step back from acting to be with them.

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

From continuing to learn more about her children's personalities to witnessing them bond with each other, here's everything Sandra Bullock has said about parenting her kids, Louis and Laila.

Louis Bardo Bullock, 15

Sandra welcomed her son Louis via adoption in January 2010 when he was 3 ½ months old.

Speaking to Today, the Miss Congeniality actress opened up about the connection she felt toward him years before he was born in Louisiana. “Katrina happened in New Orleans, and I knew — just something told me that my child was there. It was weird,” she recalled.

When they met, Sandra described their instant bond to 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 off as a mixologist, was very into mixing drinks,” she explained on Live with Kelly and Ryan in March 2022. “Had a cocktail book, no alcohol ... then he got into making boba ... then he wanted to deep fry everything. Everything was coated in sugar ... everything is food based for him."

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

During her appearance on Red Table Talk, she shared her thoughts on Louis growing up and taking on the world on his own.

"With Lou being a young Black man, at one point, sweet, funny Lou is gonna be a young man," Sandra said. "And the minute he leaves my home, I can't follow him everywhere, though I will try ... I pray and pray and pray that I have done a good enough job."

On top of being sweet and funny, Louis is also “super sensitive,” according to his mom.

“He’s like Shecky Greene, a Jewish Catskills comic,” Sandra joked to InStyle in 2018. “He’s wise and kind, I saw that when they handed him to me. There was a spiritual bigness to him. I was like, ‘I hope I don’t eff that up.’ ”

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

"I was kind of not in the place that Louis felt 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 to watch his mother's movies.

“I'm not his cup of tea," she said, adding that he prefers Spider-Man or Japanese anime. "He's 11, and he has really good taste."

Laila Bullock, 11

Sandra completed her family in 2015 when she welcomed her daughter Laila through adoption at 2 ½ years old.

“When I look at Laila, there’s no doubt in my mind that she was supposed to be here,” she told PEOPLE.

Her son was a huge advocate for the addition, with Sandra saying he “spearheaded the whole journey.” Louis quickly took to his new sister, who was previously in foster care in Louisiana and expressed concern when Child Protective Service (CPS) came by for a visit.

“They were there to see if Laila was okay,” Sandra explained to PEOPLE. “He replied, ‘You’re not going to take her away, are you?’ And at that moment, I knew I could stop worrying about whether I had found the right match. It was obvious I had.”

Still, Sandra “knew [Laila] was scared ... all I wanted was for her to know Louis and I weren’t going anywhere,” she said, adding that her daughter brought “pink and glitter in the house mixed with Legos and Batmans.”

Conscious of Laila's early years, Sandra took classes for supporting children from the foster system, which helped the actress be aware of Laila’s “triggers.” It also gave the mom and daughter the tools to navigate certain behaviors, like hiding in the closet.

"It was really hard to separate yourself and not be hurt because all you wanna do is love,” Sandra said on Red Table Talk of the times when she couldn’t comfort her child. “But guess what? Your love is not going to cut it right then and there."

Today, Laila has grown into her own person and in the process, she's learned how to deal with conflict. In 2022, Sandra told PEOPLE that she and Channing Tatum kept getting calls from their kids' preschool because Laila and Everly got into several disagreements.

"Our daughters got into a couple scraps at school because they're both very, very, very strong-willed little girls," Tatum told Vanity Fair in 2023, clarifying the girls “love each other now.”

Laila's personality is accompanied by major intelligence, according to her mom. In fact, Sandra believes her daughter “is going to be President of the United States” one day.

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

Laila also seeks out adventure. “Everything is an extreme sport of danger for her,” Sandra told Live! with Kelly and Ryan. To make her happy while touring, the mom needs to “find those elements" for her to enjoy.

Overall, Sandra describes her daughter as a “fighter” who is “just unafraid.”

“Oh my God, what she is going to accomplish,” Sandra told InStyle in June 2018. “She’s going to bring some real change.”