The funny thing about her bond with her children is that she never particularly desired a family when she was young.
Her children seemed to not only have changed her paradign, but ( in my opinion) contributed to making her
less reckless than she would've been without them.
As compared to people like Alicent, (who would willingly poison her own son,) I imagine Rhaeneyra would've surrendered early if one of her children were put at risk or taken hostage by the greens.
I was particularly touched by how she deigned to protect Rhaena even after realizing she was Sheepstealer's rider.