KIDS THESE DAYS:Tipping points need not be negative

For the past couple of years, tipping points have been the rage. Whether it’s determining when the real estate market peaked, when we started to lose the war in Iraq or figuring out when the Angels have secured the division championship, we are becoming increasingly aware of these pivotal moments.

People have tipping points. Each of us has a moment or moments in our lives when we can say, “That event changed me.”

A few days ago, my son, Roy, 14, appeared in court in Newport Beach to respond to a citation he’d received a few weeks earlier.

On his way to one of his two summer jobs, he was riding his bike without his helmet for a few moments. Unfortunately, during that brief time, he was caught by the Costa Mesa Police and given a citation.

A month or so later, he received his bail notice in the mail. He could make the whole event disappear by sending in a bail amount of $110 or he could appear before a judge.

The thought of appearing before a judge was scary. Then he calculated that $110 represented about two days of work and asked me if perhaps he could perform community service instead.

“I have no idea,” I replied, “That’s a question for the judge.”

He was cornered. Then he realized that it cost him nothing to ask the judge so he decided to try his luck at night court.

“You are going before a judge,” I told him. “You must respect his authority and his courtroom. So what do you think it might be a good idea to do?”

When I picked him up at 5 p.m., he was wearing nice pants and a freshly ironed dress shirt.

On the way to Harbor Municipal Court, I tied a tie around my neck, loosened the knot and slipped it over his collar.

Then he said perhaps the nicest thing he has ever said to me: “I’m glad you’re my dad.”

Roy got assigned to the courtroom of Judge Glenn A. Mahler.

We watched for an hour while Judge Mahler listened to the stories of people who had been accused of minor infractions.

It occurred to us that Judge Mahler had probably heard every excuse there was, yet he gave each person the opportunity to speak.

And we noticed that even though he was shuffling huge amounts of paperwork, he managed at least one good look at the person pleading his case before him.

Then it was Roy’s turn.

After describing the infraction, Judge Mahler asked, “How do you plead?”

“Guilty,” Roy said.

“The fine is $48. Are you prepared to pay that today?” asked the Judge.

“I would like to do some community service,” replied Roy.

After he heard the community service protocol, Roy opted to pay the fine.

“Are you prepared to pay today?” the judge asked again.

“Yes,” Roy said.

And he did. He went to the window outside, reached into his wallet and pulled out the $48.

We’re not sure why the fine amount changed from $110 to $48. We’d like to believe the judge reduced the amount because this young man came to his courtroom appropriately dressed and spoke with respect.

Maybe not. But it doesn’t really matter. My son had violated the law, freely admitted his guilt, went through the legal system and paid his debt to society with his own money.

I’ll take that type of tipping point any day.