Sandra Bullock tears up while discussing adoption with Hoda Kotb

June 1 (UPI) -- Sandra Bullock tears up about adoption in a new interview with Today anchor Hoda Kotb.

The 53-year-old actress gets emotional in a preview of Monday's episode while describing her role as a "forever parent."

"Hundreds of thousands of children that are ready to be your child. You're a forever parent the minute you accept the love of that child," Bullock told Kotb.

"It's amazing to me how we can take away people's happiness by telling them, 'This is the box you have to stay in,'" she said of starting a family. "There is no box."

The Ocean's 8 star adopted son Louis in 2010 and daughter Laila in 2015, while Kotb welcomed daughter Haley Joy via adoption in February 2017. Bullock described her children's personalities in the June issue of InStyle.

"Lou is super sensitive. I call him my 78-year-old son," the star said. "I saw that when they handed him to me. There was a spiritual bigness to him."

"Laila is just unafraid," she added. "She's a fighter, and that's the reason she's here today. She fought to keep her spirit intact. Oh my God, what she is going to accomplish. She's going to bring some real change."

Bullock has been dating photographer Bryan Randall since 2015. Kotb, meanwhile, shares Haley with boyfriend Joel Schiffman, and enjoyed a beach day with her family over Memorial Day weekend.