Lauren Sanchez gushes over son Nikko being the 'calm in a storm' after cryptic post about turbulent year

Lauren Sanchez has paid tribute to eldest child Nikko on his 24th birthday and praised the 'hardworking' youngster for teaching her 'something new every day.'. In a gushing Instagram post shared on Wednesday, the 55-year-old shared various photos of her son, including one of him sitting in a car seat as a young child, and wrote a sweet caption alongside them. 'From those first mischievous smiles to watching you chart your own path... my heart is full,' Lauren began.

'You've always moved to your own rhythm, adventurous, yet always so calm in the middle of a storm, and so hardworking. 'Your steady grace continues to amaze me. Another trip around the sun, and still, you teach me something new every day. I love you SO SO much. Happy birthday Nikko,' she added. Lauren shares Nikko with former NFL player Tony Gonzalez. She also has two children, Evan, 18, and Ella, 17, with ex-husband Patrick Whitesell.

Lauren's followers were quick to like and comment on the post as one person wrote: 'Wow, he is so beautiful, like his mother!'. Another said, 'Holy moly he is gorgeous,' and a third commented: 'Such a sweet young man… you're good mamma.'. Lauren Sanchez paid tribute to her son Nikko on his 24th birthday on Wednesday. Lauren welcomed her first child Nikko in February 2001 and is seen here with him when he was a toddler.

The 55-year-old shared a variety of photos of Nikko, including this sweet one of him as a young boy. A fourth person added, 'Like mama, like son,' and someone else said: 'Happy birthday Nikko..... you taught him very well!'. Lauren's sweet words for her son come just days after she admitted to experiencing some 'turbulence' at the beginning of the year in a separate social media post. Taking to Instagram on Monday, the brunette posted a selfie from inside a helicopter and shared a rather cryptic caption.

In the close-up snap, Lauren flaunted her cleavage in a beige tank top and wore a pair of Chanel sunglasses along with a blue denim baseball cap - also by the French fashion house. The mother-of-three, who is engaged to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, was wearing a headset and appeared to be gazing out of the aircraft's window. She captioned the photo: 'Some years start with turbulence, but that's just the wind reminding you to spread your wings.

'Good to be back in the air... Here's to flying farther than we ever imagined,' she added. The post has been liked over 4,800 times and Lauren's followers were quick to comment on it too. Lauren Sanchez has admitted to experiencing some 'turbulence' at the beginning of the year in a candid social media post. The 55-year-old fiancée of Jeff Bezos became a licensed helicopter pilot at the age of 40. 'You're always so beautiful and inspiring Lauren, thank you,' one person wrote.

Another branded her 'so inspiring,' and a third person commented: 'Thanks, a very good reminder.'. A fourth told her, 'Keep on spreading goodness!' and a fifth said: 'Women in aviation, so incredible.'. 'This is the thing about you that impresses me the most,' someone else said referring to aviation skills. Lauren learned to fly and became a pilot at the age of 40, and opened up about it in an interview with People in 2024.

Referring to her childhood and her parents who owned a flight school, Lauren said: 'I was always around aviation. One day I told my dad, 'I think I want to learn to fly.' It may have been the best day of his life.'. She continued: 'I was 40 years old when this happened. My dad helped me find an instructor in California, and I remember the instructor saying, 'Your dad's a pilot, your mom's a pilot. You must know a lot about aircraft.'.

'And I said, 'The only thing I know is to stay away from the propeller,' [and he goes, 'OK, we have a lot of work to do here.''. Lauren eventually got her license, and soon after that, she began Black Ops Aviation, an aerial filming company. Back in August 2024, Lauren (pictured with fiance Jeff Bezos) was the epitome of a cool mom when she took her 23-year-old model son Nikko Gonzalez skydiving. 'It was an incredible experience because I think only three percent of helicopter pilots were women at the time. Now I think it's about six percent,' she told the publication.

'I just think that growing up, women don't see a lot of female aviators. And so I hope women might see me as a pilot and say, 'Hey, I want to do that!'. 'It's really an incredible experience, and I love it,' she added. Back in August 2024, Lauren was the epitome of a cool mom when she took her son Nikko Gonzalez skydiving with Hollywood actor Orlando Bloom. The future Mrs. Bezos documented the fun day out on her Instagram, sharing a montage of clips afterwards, which she captioned, 'I guess you could call me a helicopter mom.'.