AMERICAN actress Sandra Bullock is arguably one of the most successful women in the industry.
When she is not winning awards, the 59-year-old is often found spending time with her children.
Who are Sandra Bullock's children?
Sandra Bullock is the mother of son Louis Bardo, 13, and daughter Laila, 11, both of whom are adopted.
The Oscar winner adopted Louis at the age of 5 back in 2010 and Laila at the age of 3 back in 2020.
“My family is blended and diverse, nutty, and loving and understanding,” she told People. “That’s a family.”
Outside of their adoption, not much information is available on the youngsters as Bullock has kept them out of the spotlight.
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In March 2022, it was announced that she was taking a break from acting to spend more time with her family.
A source told Us Weekly at the time: “Sandra was always very hands-on with her kids when she was home, but now that she’s stepped back from her career, she’s very active at their school."
What did Sandra say about adopting her children?
In December 2021, Bullock opened up on Red Table Talk alongside Willow Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her mother, Adrienne Banfield- Norris, about her struggles with adoption, calling the experience "incredibly hard."
"It's a system that exists and people don't know about it because it's a difficult thing to talk about. It gets deep and it gets dark," Bullock said.
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"When I first went through the process myself, you have to prove that you are a capable parent. You're in the judgment cage. I got halfway through it and I said, I can't do this."
Adding: "It was an out-of-body experience in that they literally sit down and they ask you, so what do you think is the worst kind of abuse? What is the worst kind of drug, or alcohol? I go, I don't know, they're all bad. You're just going, if I don't answer this right, I'm not fit."
Bullock then went on to discuss the bigger picture when it comes to adoption, revealing that even celebrities go through a thorough background check.
"There is always, always a soul out there that needs you to be their parent," Bullock continued. "You're put through the wringer. They ask a lot of questions. I had to have people write letters about my character, like oh my God.
"But the soul that you are supposed to parent is out there and it's ready for you. You just have to be willing to go through the gamut that feels very violating, that feels very invasive, that feels it's questioning your ability to be a good and loving parent, and be okay with that.
"Because that soul deserves to have those questions asked and when they find it and connect you with it, you'll understand."
Do her children have a father?
While it remains unclear if the children have a father listed on their adoption papers, Bullock's longtime partner, Bryan Randall, reportedly co-parented with the star up until his passing on August 5, 2023.
The 57-year-old professional photographer died after a private three-year battle with ALS.
Outside of discussing her experiences with the foster care system, Bullock also discussed co-parenting with Randall, later gushing about how he was "very patient" and "a saint" when it came to her kids.
Adding that he had nothing to do with the adoption process.
ALS and the Ice Bucket Challenge
ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - is a neurodegenerative disorder.
It is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord - causing loss of muscle control.
ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg before spreading to other parts of the body.
As muscles get weaker, the disease affects chewing, swallowing, speaking and breathing.
The disease gets worse over time - and there is no known cure.
According to medical experts, the life expectancy post-diagnosis ranges between three to five years.
And the fight against the relentless disease drew global attention during the viral Ice Bucket Challenge of 2014.
The challenge encourages nominated participants - including celebrities - to be filmed having a bucket of icy water poured over their heads.
They then nominate at least three others to do the same - giving them just 24 hours to take the plunge or forfeit by giving a charitable financial donation.
The Ice Bucket Challenge raised hundreds of millions of pounds for ALS research and spread awareness of the disease.
The challenge was co-founded by ALS campaigner Pat Quinn and Pete Frates - and people still take part in events every year to raise funds and awareness.
“I had Louis first. Then when I met him, we hadn’t been together that long and I said, ‘Remember that NDA you signed when you photographed my son? You know that still holds … because I’m bringing a child home when I come back from Toronto,’” Bullock explained.
“He was so happy, but he was scared. I’m a bulldozer. My life was already on the track and here’s this beautiful human being who doesn’t want anything to do with my life but [was] the right human being to help me.”
She later told the hosts that "he’s the example that I would want my children to have".
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Bullock and Randall first started dating in 2015 following her divorce from Jesse James in 2010.
Outside of co-parenting Bullock's kids, Randall is the father of a daughter named Skylar from a previous relationship.
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