Jason,
That is normal. We sweat over our machines because we have put hours of sweat and effort (in the form of money) into these neat little machines. Its called "working class ethic." Thank your parents for the fact you have it.
When I was 8, I got a new bike for Christmas. Every week, I would have to have my dad bend the chain guard out of the way because I had mashed it into the chain or gear cog in another "accident." My dad was a depression era kid. While working on my bike one day, my dad said, "When I was your age, I would have loved to have had a bike of my own. Especially a
new one."
I realized right then what a pig I had been. I was embarrassed and ashamed I had been so careless. That changed me forever and I taught my kid the same values. I really feel bad for the young kids today because most of them have no concept of this pride in ownership. Our society suffers as a result...
I think my dad appreciated the change in me. Later, in high school, we had come across a low-time lawn mower that had been in storage quite awhile. i took it apart, de-greased it, waxed it, sharpened the blade and then tuned it so it would idle at an amazingly slow speed. It looked like a brand new machine. My dad would tell other people, "My son cleaned that thing up and made it run like new." I wanted my dad to know I understood what he tried to teach me. His comments to others were a sign he knew I had "gotten it" and were a source of pride for me as a young man. If he were here today, he'd appreciate the shape my formerly "dented" Kubota is in.