Problem: Article: If you are taking a shot of your friend, make it of your friend, not of your friend at the end of the hallway. Then you won't have to cut a lot out of the picture when you come back and edit the photo after it's been uploaded. This is not quite the same as the 'golden mean' which is more applicable to painting and not photography.  Basically, the rule of thirds is "Mentally divide your viewfinder or LCD screen into thirds, using two vertical and two horizontal lines to create nine smaller rectangles and four points where the lines intersect."  Try to frame pictures so that the focal point of your subject is right in between or close by one of the four intersection points caused by the lines. Our eyes naturally gravitate to these four intersection points, not to the center of the photograph. Always work on a copy, so that you can always go back to your image and do something else to it, if you happen to have new/more inspiration. Go back to the friend in the hallway: the hallway is a lot of dead space. Crop the picture so that the person takes up a good majority of the frame, leaving a little background space to establish context. Sometimes, you need to leave some of the photo there so that the picture is in context. Are you going to print it out or have it on the web. You will definitely want more pixels to work with if you are printing it out, whereas a picture that is put out on the web will generally require fewer pixels. Crop the image accordingly. Like writing, it can be helpful to remove all the clutter and extraneous information. Crop that out so that what's left is a pure expression of what the image wants to be.
Summary: Try to "crop" your photo as much as possible during the shot. Remember the Rule of Thirds when you compose your shot. Save the initial image so that you can crop it in more than one way. Get rid of the dead space. Know when not to crop. Consider what you are going to do with the image. Always ask yourself what the image is about.

Problem: Article: Over time, you should have a variety of discussions with your child about sex, sexuality, and reproduction. You should be prepared ahead of time in regards to what you feel most subject you feel most comfortable discussing with your child.  What are you the most comfortable talking about? Some parents feel fine discussing the technical aspects of reproduction, but others balk at the idea as they fear they don't know enough to explain it well. Some parents are okay discussing relationships, consent, and readiness for sex, but others are uncomfortable with being so casual with their kids. Know what you feel you can cover yourself, without outside material.  You should strive to frankly discuss the topics you're most comfortable with upfront and lean on outside material for areas you're less confident.  Take your child's age into consideration. You should always answer a child's question about their body, but depending on your personal parenting style you might prefer to hold off on discussing sex and reproduction itself until around 10 or 12. Some subjects too might not be an issue until your child is a teenager. It's fine to talk to your 10 year-old daughter about menstruation and what it means, but she might not understand safe sex and STDs until she's a few years older. As stated, you might have to rely on certain outside sources for some areas of the sex talk.   What Makes A Baby by Cory Silverberg is a great children's book for parents looking to explain how babies are conceived and born to young children. If you're unsure how to word the discussion in a kid-friendly manner, this can be an excellent resource.  The website BishUK provides a range of topics for parents and teens that covers not only the physical aspects of sex but its emotional impact. You could direct your child to these web pages as he reaches his teenage years.  MTV, as part of their well known Teen Mom series, has a website known as mysexlife.org that helps teenagers understand sex and sexuality and how to make safe decisions regarding their bodies.  Speakeasy, a Family Planning Association, has online guides to help parents talk to kids about sex and reproduction at a variety of ages. Many parents underestimate how much information children absorb, even at a young age, about sex and reproduction. Try to maintain a calm demeanor each time you have a discussion with your child and do not react with anger, shock, or surprise if your child reveals they already know some aspects of the topic.  If your child takes a sex ed course at school, try and figure out what is covered. You can look over the material your child brings home, but it might be better to speak to the teacher directly and ask him for a syllabus or lesson plan.  Even young children have some understanding of sex and sexuality. Children pick up on things in television and other sources of media and talk amongst themselves. Older children might fill younger children in on certain topics, and a child might ask your for further information or verification about something they heard on the playground. Handle such lines of questions calmly. If your child claims they already know something you're trying to explain, remain calm. You want your child to leave the conversation feeling positive so he feels he can come back to you with questions. You do not want to react in a way that could provoke feelings of fear or shame in your child.
Summary:
Decide what you want to discuss. Gather external resources. Understand your child probably knows more than you think.