As much as Seinfeld is touted as “the show about nothing,” the fact is that it really is about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and it brought attention to the otherwise mundane events of everyday life. Courtesy of the show’s brand of observational humor, the lead characters talk about aspects involving friends and family that would otherwise go unnoticed.
There’s many a family-centric Seinfeld storyline that enthralls fans. The Costanzas, especially Frank, have a huge impact on his son’s life. Although a successful man, Elaine’s father is an absentee figure. Babs Kramer loves her son and takes his advice on board. Each family in Seinfeld has a unique set of dynamics and ways of showing love and care.
Morty And Helen Advise Jerry
In season 1’s “The Stake Out,” Morty and Helen carefully approach the topic of relationships with their beloved son, Jerry. He’s just broken up with Elaine, they have decided to stay in each other’s lives, and he’s on the lookout for his soulmate. Quite obviously, the first question that pops up in Morty and Helen’s mind is why did they break up? Jerry explained that their lack of physical chemistry and disagreements lead to their end. And while Helen considered these to be solid reasons, she offered him some pearls of wisdom about relationships. Jerry patiently listened to what his mother had to say, especially the part where she warned him not to be too particular because nobody was perfect.
Right off the bat, the Seinfelds gave fans the impression they were a supportive and an empowering family not afraid to talk things out.
Estelle Is Sad To See George Move out
Although Franks and Estelle weren’t ecstatic when their adult son moved back with them, they were emotional when the time came for him to move out.
At season 5’s end, George goes against his instinct and secures a job with the New York Yankees. The next step for him is to move out of his parent’s house and take an apartment for himself. The Costanzas are visibly upset, and Estelle gets a little teary-eyed. “Don’t get in trouble with the Yankees,” says George’s concerned father, as his son is about to start a new chapter of his life. In the end, it didn’t matter how many disagreements the family members had, Frank and Estelle experienced a sense of loss seeing their grown child move out.
Jerry Buys His Parents A New Cadillac
With every Seinfeld season, Jerry becomes more and more successful, and midway through season 7, he buys his parents a Cadillac. He flies down to Florida and surprises them with the new car. Morty thinks he could use the Cadillac, but Helen refuses to accept the ridiculously expensive gift. She wrestles the keys out of her husband’s hands and gives them back to her son.
Fans can observe two things from “The Cadillac” storyline — Jerry uses the influx of cash to buy his father a car, and Helen, in turn, is worried for her son’s finances. It shows that Helen cared about her child and Jerry believed his parents deserved to be splurged on.
Morty And Helen Worry About Jerry’s Health
Season 9’s “The Blood” was packed with interesting plots, and the one that truly stood out for being wholesome was Morty and Helen offering their son health advice and counsel. The couple had come to town to attend Marvin Kessler’s funeral and were convinced his death was due to inactivity.
Worried Jerry wasn’t getting enough physical activity himself, Morty and Helen advised him to take better care. They bought him sessions with a personal trainer, Izzy Mandelbaum. Morty endearingly advised Jerry to develop healthy eating habits and repeatedly told him to eat a plum a day. Although Jerry wasn’t too ecstatic about these sessions, it’s sweet his parents wanted to be informed about his health.
Morty And Helen Sell Their Cadillac To Help Jerry
Given that Jerry worked in a gig economy, it was natural for Morty and Helen to worry about their son’s finances. In “The Money,” they attributed his cheque bouncing to non-existent money problems and tried to help him by selling the Cadillac he gifted to them.
When Jerry protested, Helen mentioned how she’d read an article in the Sun-Sentinel that said stand-up comedy was not what it used to be. He then flew down to Florida to buy the car back for his parents. Things got complicated afterward, but the Cadillac storyline proved the Seinfelds would do absolutely anything for each other.
Nana Sends Jerry Birthday Cheques
When Kristin points to Jerry’s lack of sentimentality in “The Pledge Drive,” he tries to prove her wrong by showing her old birthday cards from his grandmother. Kramer then finds a $10 cheque in every single one of his cards. It turns out Jerry’s Nana, along with her love, also puts $10 in every card for his grandson’s birthday, and he, in turn, has been saving these cards for years. Kramer suggests Jerry cash the cheques to have fun, ultimately causing trouble at Nana’s end.
Granted, this too is a quintessential Seinfeld plotline where things go awry, but by safely preserve greeting old cards, Jerry proves he has a strong emotional attachment to his grandmother.
Jerry Checks His Parents Into The Plaza
In “The Doodle,” Jerry’s apartment has to be fumigated and sealed for 48 hours because of a flea infestation. As disturbing as this development is, Morty and Helen are coming into town, and Jerry wants to settle them in. He persuades Elaine to give them her hotel suite since they won’t let him pay for their hotel and will most likely stay at an “awful dump” on their own.
Morty is thrilled to check into The Plaza, calling it the kind of room Frank Sinatra stayed in, and as always, Helen repeatedly asked her son if it was alright. The episode shows Jerry was willing to go to great lengths to keep his parents safe in the Big Apple. It also shows Helen was a good parent who put her child first.
Babs Kramer Always Believed In Her Son
Cosmo Kramer’s mother, Babs, is seen in season 6’s “The Switch” for the first time. On George and Jerry’s insistence, Kramer meets his mother after nearly five years. The mother-son duo walks arm-in-arm around NYC and shares a meal at Monk’s Cafe. Kramer suggests his mother quit her matron job, and they go into business together.
After initial reluctance, when Babs asks what kind of business would they go into, Kramer says he has plenty of ideas up his sleeve. And to that, Babs lovingly replies, “I always believed in you, Cosmo, you know that.” There’s a lot to unpack there, nonetheless, Kramer was blessed with a parent who believed in him, despite his oddities.
Helen Packs Cereal For Jerry
In Seinfeld‘s decisive finale, Jerry and the gang are put on trial for violating the Good Samaritan Law. As chaotic media surrounds the trial, the gang’s family members fly up to Latham, Massachusetts, to show support.
Before the judicial proceedings begin, Helen is shown packing a suitcase full of Jerry’s favorite cereal boxes. Morty funnily says she’s packed enough for a life sentence, but Helen knows her son loves cereal, and so she insists on taking a suitcase full for her son.
Estelle Worried About George
If there was disagreement in the Seinfeld household, the Costanzas were also bickering. Even though Frank and Estelle tried to blame George’s gross misconduct on each other, it was evident they were saddened to see their son’s future at stake.
“Poor Georgie, was it our fault this happened to him? Did we do something wrong? Maybe it was our fault.” Helen raised a question about her and Frank’s parenting decisions. Parents often struggle with self-doubt, and the Costanzas were no different from the rest in that respect. It wasn’t unusual for them to doubt their parenting during a highly critical point, and they flew down to Latham to be by their son’s side.
