There's no question for me that Cersei loves his kids, even --especially -- Joffrey. He's her golden boy/Frankenstein monster. He's just harder to control than she anticipated.

She also tells Sansa "Love no one but your children; in that a mother has no choice." She sees her love for her children as a weakness she's stuck with.

especially -- Joffrey. He's her golden boy/Frankenstein monster

Yep, this.

Where in the show do you see love for Joffrey? I don't see the same kind of concern that I see from Catelyn

I think almost everything Cersei does is out of love for Joffrey. She's not at all affectionate like Catelyn, but I don't see a lack of love for her hideous monster son.

I will respectfully disagree outside of the selfish DNA mentioned above. I don't know what any kind of love would look like on her face, but I don't see her having love for Joffrey as a person, or as the specific son he is. Glory of her heritage and the Lannisters in general, sure. He is indeed her golden boy. But I just don't feel anything personal there, mostly that he is an important piece in her plans and heritage.

I see your point. I guess I was thinking, "isn't that protecting your DNA thing a (warped) kind of love?" And while, in a way, it might be, I think you might be right that the real answer is, "No, not really." Not for Joffrey as an actual person, rather than a symbol for something else.

I don't think love means the same thing to any five people in one room, to be honest. My definition of loving my kids includes raising them to become kind, responsible, capable people, so Cersei already failed there.

My yardstick is always going to be what the person doing the loving or not believes about the way they feel, and I think if you asked Cersei if she loves Joffrey, she would say absolutely.

I think if you asked Cersei if she loves Joffrey, she would say absolutely

Too much possibility for unreliable narrator (or even within the framework of the story--fear of death) for me--I read him as her best possible tool to achieve her goals. A tool of her creation, but there's enough fear and understanding of the vile, dangerous, piece of shit that kid is that there's no there there--no cherishing, fondness, warmth, attachment, etc--I don't get those coming off her where Joffrey's concerned.

But that -- "no cherishing, fondness, warmth, attachment" -- might not be what love means to her. And she's really the only person that it matters to -- if I were Sansa, pre-Margery for example, knowing that Cersei loves (or hates) Joffrey isn't going to change how she tries to manipulate him, and what consequences that will have for Sansa.

Ideal love, platonic or maternal or romantic, is supposed to be selfless, but it's very often not. And love is something that I don't think can be strictly defined.

I get that you don't think Cersei loves Joffrey. I just disagree.

Isn't there a point at which if you diverge to much from the dictionary or general societal understanding of a word, then you've got to use another word in order to usefully communicate?

You saw where I said I disagree with you, right? It's really not that important to me to keep arguing about it. It's opinion, not scientific fact.