I think it’s an interesting fantasy to entertain. But you have to be careful not to use it to compensate for feeling like a bad parent when you fail at more mundane but real ways to care for you kids. I only say this because anyone I have ever heard say this more than once, gave me the impression to be compensating for something. Because they were not really in the best of life circumstances with their family. I include my own parents in this, who often madw hypotheticals like this, but were and are never there for me when I actually need them. So I try not to boast about hypotheticals with my own kid.

But you do raise an interesting point with the abandonment of pets.

I would 100%. But I will add my opinion to this statement.

Taking a bullet ist such an extremely rare circumstance (especially if you live in a safe country) it will never ever happen in my life. It’s just a cheap statement to make yourself feel good. And I despise it when parents say it who I don’t feel make a good effort to support their kids in day to day life. Your kid does not benefit from a hypothetical life sacrifice. It benefits from your daily support, work and effort as a parent every day though.

This seems very specific to the USA.