First, I’ve NEVER felt diminished as a man to see my wife getting intense sexual pleasure from another man because I love her so much that I want her to have that. (Besides, when she’s doing that, I’m busy getting my own pleasure from another woman! 😉) In fact, I just recently suggested that we try a 3some with another male because I want her to experience what it is to have two men there to give her pleasure and for her to give pleasure to. Does that make me less of a man? I know that when it’s all over, she’s going home WITH ME!
Second, if your wife gets sexual pleasure from another man, what is there to protect her from? You need to protect her from being choked during rough sex … or having another man try to force her to have anal sex against her will … or having her new partner try to fuck her without a condom … or … Do you get the picture? But as long as she’s in her comfort zone and enjoying herself, there’s no need to protect her from anything. Just be there IN CASE she needs you and if she doesn’t, then you should both enjoy the partner that you’re with.
Finally, you just gave the best reason you could have given for NOT swinging right now … that things aren’t “rock solid” between the two of you. There’s a well-known principle in The Lifestyle that it magnifies whatever the state of your relationship is. If it’s strong, swinging will make it even stronger because you’re both giving something hot and exciting to each other without any regrets. If it’s weak, swinging will make it weaker because jealousy and anger will creep in, adding to the problems you already have. If your relationship isn’t where it should be, it’s less likely that your wife see you as not a real man who should protect her than that she’ll see you as someone who really enjoys fucking other women. So yes, this sounds like a bad idea right now … but not for the reasons you think it is.