"I wished our skin matched sometimes"- Sandra Bullock's parenting talk with her adopted son on Red Table Talk wins hearts online

Sandra Bullock recently opened up about parenting her adopted African-American children. In a recent episode of Red Table Talk, the actress told Jada Pinkett Smith and her mother Adrienne-Banfield Norris that she “sometimes” wished to have the same skin color as her children:

“To say that I wished our skins matched… sometimes I do. Because then it would be easier on how people approach us. And I have the same feelings as a woman with brown skin, and it being her babies. Or a white woman with white babies.”

In response to the statement, Jada’s daughter Willow Smith mentioned that motherhood should never face issues related to colorism:

“It's the mother-child dynamic. There is no color. We don't have to put a color on...”

The Bird Box star then replied that she hopes someday such issues would disappear from the world:

“Maybe one day that will go away. Maybe one day we will be able to see with different eyes.”

In another interview with The Grio, Sandra Bullock shared an excerpt from a heartbreaking conversation she once had with her son about racism in America:

“I have a beautiful Black son, at the age of six he popped on a hoodie and I was like, “We’re gonna have a conversation. It’s different for you”. And I was like, “What does it look like you’re doing with the hoodie?” And he says, “Well, I look like I’m hiding.”

The 57-year-old further shared that she allows her children to see the harsh realities of the world:

“Do you have anything to hide?” He said, “No”. I said, “Then you don’t need to wear it outside”. I said, “People are scared and will react to you differently than if you were a white boy”. And he knows it. I let them see everything. I let them hear and know everything, see it all.”

She also stated that even though the situation leaves her heartbroken, she aims to enlighten her children as the system is unfair:

“It breaks my heart. It makes me full of rage. It makes me afraid. But all I can do is my job, protect them, enlighten them, and show them their power, show them how to be safe. But the system is not fair.”

The actress won several hearts following her honest remarks and was largely praised on social media.

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All about Sandra Bullock’s adopted children

Sandra Bullock adopted Louis in 2010 and Laila in 2015 (Image via Getty Images/Steve Granitz)

Sandra Bullock adopted Louis in 2010, months after she parted ways with former husband Jesse James. Louis was just three-and-a-half years old when the actress had the chance to officially adopt him after four years of waiting and legal formalities.

The Golden Globe Award winner adopted her second child, daughter Laila, in 2015. She was eight years old at the time of adoption. The actress opened up about her decision to adopt during an emotional interview with Parenting in 2018:

“I did think, ‘Maybe not.’ Then [Hurricane] Katrina happened. I’m going to cry… Katrina happened in New Orleans and something told me, ‘My child is there.’ It was weird.”

The Blind Side star has also received immense support from her boyfriend Bryan Randall for raising the children. Bullock started dating Randall in 2015 and the couple have been inseparable ever since. Sources close to the pair told Closer that Randall loves to spend time with the children:

“Bryan’s secret to being a great father, which Sandra tries to mimic, is just being present, listening, instilling good solid values and correcting them when they stray in a calm, conducive manner. Most important of all — Bryan just likes having fun with the kids.”

Sandra Bullock has often been praised for her parenting skills. More recently, her sincere remarks about raising her adopted children amid ongoing issues of racism also had netizens impressed. Several social media users and celebrities like Viola Davis praised the actress for her statement:

Sandra Bullock also told People (the TV Show) about her warm relationship with her children:

"I'm just the mom. When I'm gone, I'm missed, when I'm there, I'm annoying, and that's exactly the way it should be."

On the work front, Sandra Bullock is set to appear in The Unforgivable. The film is scheduled to release on December 10, 2021.