I love this thread. I thought this was going to be a plain ol’ Regina doesn’t love Henry whatsoever type deal, but it’s been pretty deep. I think Regina does love Henry but she has issues. Of course, the primary one against her is that she’s a murdering psychotic.
However, beyond that as has been mentioned, she’s a mother out of selfish needs. There is a void she’s trying to feel. Unfortunately, she’s trying to replace lost love instead of nourishing a new love. Right now, it’s like Regina’s attempted to replace her prize steed – which she had originally sacrificed to the curse. I’m sure if a person has a rather large estate, they pay little mind to where their pets roam – much as to how Regina acts with Henry. And I’m sure when Henry grows up, Regina would either groom him to be like herself or demean/degrade him as Cora did her husband and become Regina’s valet and lackey.
I am conflicted with statements regarding someone loving their child and someone who is fit to be a parent. Coming from a broken home with natural parents who both married and divorced three times each and who were either unable to parent adequately due to selfish actions on one side or guilt for those actions on the other, it’s difficult to say what is real loving emotion and what is simple parental action.
Regina is straddling both sides. Is she waffling? Undecided? No, she loves her son. Unfortunately for Henry and herself, other things happened in Regina’s life before he came into it. Has she done bad things, whether seen as selfish or evil? Yes. Does that mean she is incapable of loving her child? No. Is she a bad parent or unfit? Currently, yes.