Ponder Such Things ...

Utah Jazz player Andrei Kirilenko told ESPN magazine that his wife of six years allows him to have one night with a woman a year -as long as she knows about it. Kirilenko admits that his wife’s suggestion was a surprise to him and said that he didn’t plan to do anything. His wife, Masha Lopatova, is also from Russia where she is a famous pop star. She is comfortable with being in the public eye and it didn’t seem to bother her to talk about their marriage so openly because her “whole life is on the surface”. Mrs. Kirilenko feels that if she knows her husband’s “night out”, then it’s not cheating. She feels that by sanctioning a tryst with another woman, she is curbing any urges he may have to seek out many women. Her logic is that he would already have so many temptations as an NBA player, it would be unrealistic to expect him to resist them. She is quoted saying “What’s forbidden is always desirable. And athletes, particularly men, are susceptible to all the things they are offered”. Mrs. Kirilenko didn’t want to have a similar allowance from her husband. I suppose she thinks that women have no problem curbing their appetite?When I talked to a few male friends about this article, I received mixed feedback. David Horton, a 30-something published author, said this makes sense because “Men are conquerors”. He thinks that the Kirilenko arrangement would be ideal for him. He thinks most men would love this kind of setup.My friend Jackson, a 26 year old hip hop columnist, thinks Mrs. Kirilenko shouldn’t be trusted. He said, “What woman in her right mind would justify this to herself? And what woman REALLY believes that ONE additional woman would curb his appetite for new snickerdoodle?He also calls a foul (pun intented) on her terms: “This is a psychological mind game his wife is playing. One per year? That isn’t fair. That’s too much calculating and decision making for him to go through. He’ll combust just trying to make sure he isn’t missing out on Jennifer Love-Hewitt or Natalie Portman when he decides to sleep with Lindsay Lohan.” Hilarious, Jackson cracks me up.

Men, do you agree with Jackson or Horton?

If a woman knows about the affair, is it still cheating?

Ladies would you offer one night to your man if you were married?

What if it was someone you are dating?