Considering the outcome, I cannot find any "mistakes" you made. Every scenario unfolds differently and, as you now know, quite quickly.
Bartholomew Roberts wrote;
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If you know they are angry and they are following you, don't lead them to your home or the home of someone else you know. Even if they drive on, they may decide to come back later to settle up. You get to pick the terrain for the confrontation - use that to your advantage.
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This is quite true and, given that the guy was still following you I might not have gone to a private drive to park however, being at a relatives home, on private property does lend some credibility to your defense should the need arise.
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If your attacker is unarmed (as he was here), staying in the car puts a major barrier between the two of you and if your state extends Castle Doctrine to vehicles, it also offers you an additional legal benefit you don't want to give up unless you have to.
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In your case, you put yourself between the attacker, and your family inside the vehicle. Since you had no means to simply "drive away" that is likely where I would want to be,
between my family and the threat. If you were inside the vehicle, you would have made your entire family a target , a "sitting duck" as it were. However the officer's advice on maintaining / creating space is sound, I would do so with a mind toward keeping the pi$$ed off guy focused on
me and, away from my family.
Don't second guess it too much, it worked as the situation dictated and, everyone went home alive. It don't get much better than that.