When consequences are clearly defined it is easier to stick to them. When the consequences are not thought through and derive from emotional overload, the parent is more likely to retract the consequence out of guilt when the teen begins to behave better. Creating small detailed expectations and consequences makes it easier to follow through despite the teens protest.  It is essential that a young adult learn to sit with emotional discomfort that has resulted from the consequences of their actions. Parents often attempt to rescue their children from discomfort because it is painful for them to witness.  It is no wonder to me why teens act in such impulsive, self-destructive ways when they have never had to experience the reality of what they have created. Parents must teach them how the world works. In the adult world we all have to live with the consequences of our behavior. There should be no exception for teens. How else will they learn to look inward for the solution to the problems they have created when they don’t see how they created them?