How often are we actually cleaning and simply being present with each moment?
Have you ever spent time with your child only to realize your mind was elsewhere, unable to fully focus on them?
Maybe you’re preoccupied with something your parents once said about education, or you’re affected by how other parents perceive you. Maybe financial worries weigh you down, or you’re physically and mentally exhausted.
Even so, there are countless things we must do as parents each day—driving our children, preparing meals, helping them study, listening to their concerns, managing schedules. It often feels like modern parenting is a test of how efficiently and effectively we can manage these tasks. I’ve experienced this myself.
Now that my two children are in university, I can say with confidence: the most important part of parenting is being present in the “now” as your true self.
If you feel irritated, that’s a sign you’re off balance. When you are in balance, right actions naturally arise—even if they don’t match what you thought was “right” in your head.
The version of yourself who’s irritated or clinging to what’s “right” isn’t truly a parent, or even you. It’s a version controlled by memory, and that means you’ve lost touch with your true role. And when that’s the case, no matter how clearly you try to explain something, your child will only hear it through their own memories.
Even while practicing Ho’oponopono, we’re not just sitting still in silence. We speak, we act—and that’s okay. As parents, we have responsibilities.
But the crucial point is: Are we acting from love or from irritation? That’s where the path splits.
We are capable of being “present parents”—truly in the here and now. When our minds are clear and we are free from memory, we experience being with our children in the present moment, and what needs to be said or done through us naturally arises. Only then can children remember who they really are and learn what they are meant to learn.
Had I raised my children without Ho’oponopono, I would have missed many precious moments.
When cleaning, being with your child can feel as though time stands still. You are completely in the “now.”
And the truth is—that’s really difficult. We’re often on our phones, driving, or talking with someone else. But children sense everything. They can tell whether you are truly “there” with them.
My son used to watch me carefully and say, “Mama, Mama,” as if to wake me up. “Mama, be here with me.” That’s how attuned children are to their parent’s presence.
Without cleaning, I don’t think I could have truly been present with my children. Cleaning allows me to stay clear, to become a safe and steady presence for them. When a parent is simply present as their true self, the child can receive everything they need from Divinity—wisdom, timing, talents, health, abundance.
That’s why, especially because this moment is all we have, the best thing we can do as parents is to clean our own experiences and do our best to stay as our true selves in this very moment.
Peace,
Christine Leimakamae Chu
