Although Eva Mendes is aware that her fame has cost her certain aspects of her privacy, on Saturday, the 46-year-old made it clear that she was not willing to share personal photos of Ryan Gosling or their daughters, Esmerelda, 5, and Amada, 3.

After meeting on the set of the 2011 movie “The Place Beyond the Pines,” Gosling and Mendes began dating. Despite their relationship, the couple was very private about their romance.

Over the last few years, Mendes and Gosling have opened up a bit about their relationship. However, when a fan asked why the actress doesn’t share photos of her “immediate family” on Instagram, the star explained her decision. “As far as Ryan and I, it just works for us this way to stay private,” Mendes replied.

Mendes also pointed out that since her daughters are so young, she doesn’t feel comfortable sharing their photos. Instead, she revealed she wanted to give her kids a choice when it comes to sharing their pictures on her Instagram account.

“I have always had a clear boundary when it comes to my man and my kids. I’ll talk about them, of course, with limits, but I won’t post pictures of our daily life,” Mendes wrote.

“And since my children are so little and don’t understand what posting their image really means, I don’t have their consent. And I won’t post their image until they’re old enough to give consent,” she added.

This is not the first time Mendes has opened up about her protective nature over her loved ones. Last month, Mendes revealed that while she has posted photos of Gosling, she has never shared photos from her personal collection.

“As far as Ryan, I’ll only post flashbacks of things that are already ‘out there’ (like pics from movies we did or stuff like that). My man and kids are private. That’s important to me so thanks for getting [sic] that,” she told a fan.

While fans have been shipping Gosling and Mendes’ relationship since its beginning, it may be several years before they see any pictures of Esmerelda and Amada appear on the actress’ social media accounts.

Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes recently stepped out with their kids to enjoy the rides at Disneyland. Pictured: The Hollywood couple attend “The Place Beyond The Pines” premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre in Canada on Sept. 7, 2012. Sonia Recchia/Getty Images