In the last few months, the nation has been glued to the television watching the Kobe Bryant case. Although Kobe admitted he had sex with the girl, he swears he didn’t rape her. Whatever the real story is, there is one person by Kobe’s side no matter what. I’m not talking about his lawyer, his teammates or even his fans (as diehard as they may be). I’m speaking of Mrs. Bryant.
Kobe and his wife have trust and love-and those are wonderful things to have.
Mrs. Bryant was humiliated when she found out Kobe had cheated on her. To add insult to injury, it was splashed across the media.
At this point I become torn. I couldn’t decide whether his wife is a strong, ethical woman (with a $4 million ring) trying to keep her family together or crazy for staying with him after he cheated on her in such a way.
Mrs. Bryant must be wondering if Kobe has fallen into bed with others before.
Some may argue that love is making it through the good times and the bad. And many will agree that women tend to let men have chance after chance to mend their wayward ways.
So how does she know when to stand by her man and when to hit the high road to Singlesville?
Women know their men best (Or we sure like to think so). If they have done wrong we see it in their shifty eyes and stuttered answers. Just like us, they will make their mistakes and just like us will want to be forgiven. Stand by your man when he messes up and you will see the pain on his face for hurting you. If this happens, a repeat is doubtful.
Stand by him-even if you don’t agree with the choices he makes. You’re there for him because you love him.
Some women love their men so much they’ll do anything to believe him. In these cases, forgiveness is inevitable.
In romantic or platonic relationships it is hard to respect people who don’t stand up for themselves.
Forgiveness is a wonderful virtue and necessary in relationships. But, if you find yourself forgiving your man for his screw-ups more than enjoying the pleasures of a relationship, maybe hitting the road isn’t such a bad idea. It may be a rough road at first but it will smooth out in the end.
Lauren will answer readers’ questions. E-mail question to [email protected].