^^ hidoi... I hope everything turns out okay. IMO, any "tough love" that's not based on physical danger is dubious at best, and sometimes is just a poor excuse for letting ego supercede love.
If the headset-microphone thing doesn't work as well as you hoped, it might be worth trying a USB mike - IIRC, my combo mike/headset was only a little over $20. It's just my very limited experience, but I adore the sound quality. I don't think I'll ever go back to single-prong jacks.