how you deal with your loved ones is an individual thing - afraid I can't provide much advice there.

My mom asks that I text her after getting to work, and once I get home. She worries and would prefer if I drove, but she accepts that commuting by bike is an important part of my life...Also she knows I'm a better person when I'm healthy, and knows that biking to work is a good way for me to maintain my level of fitness.

Here's some additional advice for staying safe while commuting:

1) Shine a very bright blinking headlight into oncoming traffic: I got hit by a car about a month ago in broad daylight, it was someone in one of the oncoming lanes making a left turn - they ended up t-boning me. Apparently this is the most common accident, people look for cars when making a left turn, but never bikes. Blinking an extremely bright light in their face is an almost guaranteed way to make sure they see you. It's saved me a bunch of times since the accident. I put my headlight on the left side of my handlebar right where it curves behind the hood. This way, when riding on a 4-6 lane road, if I am in the right-most lane, my light is blinking in the left-turn lane of oncoming traffic.

2) Related to point 1: if you see someone making a left turn towards you, or doing anything stupid, never trust them to yield...when in doubt, just stop. Most cagers have their fair share of deficiencies, assume the worst and you'll usually be right.

3) You already said it, but I'll second it...Never clip in (unless you're really, really good at it): If you're riding on public roads, just don't do it. Whatever efficiency you gain you are losing due to constantly clipping in/out at every traffic light. Just use platforms and don't worry if you look like a dork, it is much safer than having your foot attached to your pedal. Also saves you from having to carry an extra pair of shoes. Speedplay Zero's come with an excellent detachable platform that can be easily removed and reattach to the pedal whenever you want.

4) To avoid getting door-ed, always ride assuming every parked/stopped car has their door open. Obviously, low and long cars (like coupes and convertibles) will have longer doors, account for this when giving room.

5) If you are going over 20 mph, use the whole lane: At high speeds a pothole can seriously f* your ride, you need enough room to maneuver around these. As a general rule, move more to the middle of the lane the faster you are going. At 20 I'm about 33% over, at 30+mph, I'm dead center. Someone honks at me, they get the finger... or some verbal expletive which I don't care to write here.

I'll write some more as I think of them...but generally just be smart.