Sandra Bullock is currently the mother of two children, both of whom she adopted. She was not always confident in her ability to balance parenting and her job.
When Bullock was growing up, her mother, Helga, was a great example of what a mother should be, but she couldn’t alleviate her daughter’s anxieties about parenthood until later in life, when she provided her with sensible counsel.
But before Helga offered Bullock the advice, she made her fearful of having a daughter. Bullock claimed that her mother used to advise her that she should wait until she had a daughter, and Bullock admitted:
“And the prospect that my daughter would be anything like me terrified me.”
Later, on her deathbed, Helga gave her daughter life-changing counsel, advising her that she needed to open herself more. Bullock admitted that her mother was not an emotional person.
Bullock claimed that as her mother was dying, she was crying next to her mother’s bed, and her mother warned Bullock not to be like her. Bullock stated that she understood everything at the time.
Her mother had been completely cut off and shut down as a child, and Bullock knew that her mother didn’t want her to continue through life the same way. According to the actress, she now feels every feeling openly.
Bullock told Hoda Kotb on “Today” the tale of how she became a mother for the first time. Kotb asked Bullock whether she believed she might not become a mother when she approached her forties, and Bullock agreed.
The “Proposal” actor admitted that she didn’t think parenthood was for her until Hurricane Katrina hit. She said that, following the hurricane, something deep within her informed her that her child was in New Orleans.
She then drove to New Orleans, where she found her child. She started the adoption process, which Bullock said involved filling out a lot of paperwork, having other people look at who she was and whether or not she could have children, and getting ready to be a mother.
Bullock’s son was finally officially hers after a four-year court battle. She disclosed:
“Oh, there you are,” I replied as I gazed at him. It’s as though he’s always been there. He slid into the crook of my arm, looked me in the eyes, and was simply wise.
Although Bullock did not expect to have a kid, she enthusiastically welcomed her son into her life and stated that she was always told, “The ideal child will come to you.” “You will locate your child.” She thought this was what had happened to her.
A few years later, she gained a daughter through adoption. Bullock said in an episode of “Red Table Talk” that she found out about both her children in the same cemetery where her mother is buried.
Bullock explained the significance of this to Jada Pinkett Smith, her mother, and her daughter. She stated:
“It gets me emotional, but I know without a doubt that my mother gave these children to me.”
After welcoming her son, Louis, into her life, Bullock fostered and later adopted a young girl named Laila. However, Laila’s story was not a happy one, and adopting her into the family presented several obstacles.
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Bullock also discussed what it was like to introduce Laila into her life on “Red Table Talk.” Bullock had to go through the Foster Care System since she fostered Laila first, which she described as challenging because you have to prove you’re a competent parent.
She said that halfway through, she wasn’t sure she could go on since she wasn’t sure she could answer all of the questions. She stated that she was aware that if she did not respond correctly, she would be denied the opportunity to grow her family.
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She was also required to complete seminars on how to nurture a traumatized child. Bullock described her daughter’s trauma by saying she was constantly clothed and ready to go at the first sight of peril.
Bullock found comedy in the difficult times because her daughter was so strong-willed and informed her she was going, but Bullock warned her that if the young girl went, she would be there behind her.
Bullock stated that Laila was provoked on a regular basis, and while she was first unable to recognize the triggers, she returned to her training and discovered answers. Her companion also stated:
“I have a hunch we’ll notice a shift when she’s been with us longer than she hasn’t been.”
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Bullock stated that she knew her kid would encounter many obstacles because her daughter’s first two and a half years of life were so stormy and stressful, but they are working it out as a family.
Bullock is now so dedicated to her family and raising her children that she has placed her profession on hold and has no intentions to return. She stated:
“Being a mother made me understand, ‘Oh, this is what I’m supposed to do when I grow up, not be an actor,'” she says.
She stated that she knew her life’s goal was to be a mother from an early age since she felt a call to do so. She has even requested that her children attend the same college and reside in the same location so that they may always be close to her.
She discussed assisting her daughter in overcoming her trauma, adding that she understands that her daughter would always have worries as a result of her trauma at such a young age, but she reassured Laila that she would always be there for her.
Bullock announced her retirement from acting while promoting “The Lost City.” Before she walked away from the scene for a bit, she said that her children would join her at the film’s premiere in Los Angeles.
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When asked whether she was joking about leaving acting, Bullock said she wasn’t and said she didn’t know how long she would be gone. She stated that she needed to be in a happy environment, which was with her family.
Bullock made her cinematic debut in 1987 with “Hangmen,” following an Off-Broadway run with “No Time Flat.” Bullock is retiring from acting after 35 years to spend more time with her children.