I just don’t think that Regina’s issue is that she doesn’t have time. I honestly don’t think she cares about spending time with Henry. She is the Evil Queen. She is a bit insane. She is a mass murderer. There is just nothing about this situation that is normal to me and while if it is was a real situation i would agree with you that certainly consistency, keeping a roof over their head, feeding, making sure he does his homework, all of those things are good and of value and if we take Regina just as she is in Storybrooke then sure she should keep custody, but Regina is the Evil Queen. She is that other person who has done all of those horrible things.
I do think though the reason that Emma does not “have” to do those things with Henry like feeding, homework is because she doesn’t have custody and not because she doesn’t want to do them. I think she wants to do them very much, but does not have the opportunity. She even said in Ep 9 that the only reason she doesn’t have Henry is because she can’t.
And about where Henry is, i think i see the opposite. Regina freaks out when she finds out he is with Emma, but most of the time it doesn’t seem like she really cares where he is. He is wandering around at night. She leaves him alone all the time. And he is only ten. Ten is still very young to me. I just can’t believe she does that as much as she does. And i know she is a working mother, but him just wandering around at night all time seems bizarre. And maybe Regina isn’t aware of how much Henry is doing that, but maybe she should be at home and be a bit more aware. We know she isn’t working at night so where is she and why is she not more aware of what he is up to.
Though really when it comes down to it things like Regina murdered Graham. This is not a safe situation. If Regina ever found out that Henry was Snow’s grandson what would she do. Those are my biggest issues with Regina. I have no issue with her yelling at him for leaving his shoes on the steps, but the fact that she is a bit insane and he is the grandson of the woman Regina is trying to torture and ruin pretty much makes me think get that kid out of there before Regina finds out.
I have two brothers and a sister. I never played with my parents either. My parents are a bit on the crazy side and i won’t pretend that does not color my thoughts on this matter. My family did not have many rules and that is a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. The only thing i would consider abusive that Regina has done is when she grabbed him by the arm and yanked him. I don’t think that is okay to do ever to a child unless they are running into the street or something. That is just my feeling on the matter.
I just want to say that by my saying that i think Regina, the Evil Queen, should lose custody of Henry does not mean that if there was a normal non murdering sane woman who was strict like Regina i would not think she should lose custody. Though i do think she is damaging Henry by being so cruel and mean to him and by being unable to connect, but in the real world that would just make her not a very good parent and not necessarily that she should lose custody. Though the reason she cannot connect comes back to the fact that she is an insane murderer who has cursed everyone in her world in an attempt ruin their lives.