Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25926288-20170410010002/@comment-28162607-20170416154229

Eskaver wrote: I'll go with what we know. 1. Regina was a helicopter mom as her mom was. Relatively rigid, overprotective, and over-involved in their child's everything. People like this exist. Are they terrible? No, not necessarily.

'''Regina isn't a 'helicopter mom'. I have shown all of her abusive tendencies. Manhandling your child, treating him like a possession isn't over protective.'''

2. Henry was in a faze, unaware of the strange things going on. Upon entering 5th grade, Henry noticed the weird curse-like state of Storybrooke. Regina lied to him to cover that up. Henry kept on pursuing, so she sent him to Dr. Hopper so he could convinve Henry that those ieas make no sense.

'''Yes, to convince him he was crazy. That is abuse. '''

'''Also, is it confirmed that Henry only started noticing time wasn't moving when he was 5th grade? I'd have thought it was way earlier. But the effects of Regina's curse on Henry is worth a whole post in itself as it effected not only his psycological wellbeing, but his education and ability to make friends. But Regina never cared.'''

3. Regina's state of love was ambiguous. She used him as a tool to manipulate Emma and it's obviously wrong.

4. She state she loves him, tries to change for him and fails. She realizes that she should let Henry go. (and he went with David, later, Emma.)

And then tries to kill his family

5. She tries again, stumbling over her efforts. She realizes she has to change for Henry.

6. She goes to Neverland, because she realizes she has to fight for Henry.

'''She makes Henry's death about what HER and what SHE has lost. '''

7. During the Missing Year and so on, she realizes what life is like without Henry.

8. She give True Love's Kiss to Henry.

If you think going from twistedly loving Henry to truely loving Henry isn't development, then there's no way to have a reasonable discussion with the canonical points presented. One can argue it should have been different or that it wasn't subjectively good, but development is development.

Regina not wanting Henry to see her in a weak state, while bad, isn't inhumane. He's staying with Emma and when Henry comes over, she welcomes him in. She didn't shut to door on him or ignore him. Often writing makes question chioces when they have her say things that sort exclude Henry from her happiness in a signifcant way, but I don't hold it against her no more than I don't for Emma. Some people think Emma is spending little time with Henry and focusing solely on Hook. Writing may make that seem that way, but to the character I don't hold that against them for a piece of terrible writing.

'''She sent a BIRD to tell him she didnt want him around then locked him out of her house. Regina doesn't get to stop being a parent because her feelings got hurt. He had to BEG to be allowed into his own home. Neglect. And this isn't bad writing, it's consistent with Regina.'''

Emma never locked Henry out of his home because Hook broke up with her (even when Hook DIED we don't see any evidence of Emma neglecting Henry or deciding she wasn't going to be a parent).

Hailing Regina as the worst mother (except Black Fairy) just lacks balance. You have to include the good with the bad as that is what makes an experience. '''What good? All Henry's fun moments where he can act like an actual kid are with Emma and Killian. Not Regina. '''Cora is worse as she did things that Regina never would do. Cora manipulates physically and emotionally her children (Regina did the exact same thing), was willing to rip out Regina's heart, gave up her child for her own selfish ambitions, and she did that all the way up to her time in the UW. Now, technically, she is one of the worst mother simply because we've seen more of her and most weren't seen as mother for a long time. The only fair comparisons we have for worst mothers are Milah, Snow, Emma, and Cora because noone else have been given significant (and meaningful screentime) as a parent. Thus, it's a really low bar given we haven't had many (unquestionably) good mothers with significant screentime and development. (The only one I can think of is Ruth)

'''Snow and Cora I agree with (although while Snow is bad, she isn't on Regina's level and I don't think I would actually call her abusive). But Milah and Emma? Milah made a mistake she spent every day regretting and Emma is there for Henry and strives to make him happy. '''