They're totally bugs! I loved Blackout, in the first movie, like some giant waspy thing :D

Sounds like you've got a perfectly sensible plan - your mom's reaction reminds me of this response from Captain Awkward (I love Captain Awkward! She has some very nifty advices sometimes) to a reader who wanted to know how to tell his parents he'd been laid off. Not exactly your situation, but some helpful tips on understanding parental reactions when we don't follow the stories they've told themselves about us in their heads. Rock on, chickie, we know you're awesome ^_^