Jersey Shore star Ronnie Ortiz Magro has gone through some rough times with Jen Harley.
And by rough, we mean that time that Ronnie got dragged by a car. Ronnie went to the hospital, and Jen got her mugshot taken. It was scary.
Despite everything, however, Jen is making sure that the world knows that they’re still together and going strong.
Jen Harley took to Instagram to share an edited photo and to gush about her relationship.
“How we are all the time,” she writes about her relationship with Ronnie.
“We went through a rough time,” she vastly understates while not seeming to take responsibility for it.
“But,” she continues. “We are strong and the best we’ve ever been.”
Jen concludes: “I love you and have your back always.”
Jen then writes “LOVERS” in all caps, tagging herself and Ronnie in case there was any doubt.
That was not all.
Jen also made it clear that she and Ronnie went on a recent family walk through New York City’s Central Park.
In addition to sharing glimpses of the skyline and of the greenery, she also posed for a few photos.
She had their precious 6-month-old baby, Ariana, with her.
Ariana is growing up so quickly!
She and Ronnie also had her first child, Mason, along for the walk.
This stroll through the park took place on Thursday, October 4.
The following day, October 5, was Mike Sorrentino’s sentencing in his tax evasion trial.
Ronnie, like many of the Jersey Shore stars, attended in a show of emotional support.
Ronnie and Jen have had a tumultuous relationship.
Earlier this year, shortly after their daughter Ariana was born, Ronnie accused Jen of having cheated on him.
Then, in June, the police were called after a dispute between the two of them became worryingly heated.
It was also in June that Jen Harley was arrested for dragging Ronnie with a car.
As you may recall, he was trying to leave the car when she reportedly sped away, dragging him and causing him to be hospitalized with some gross-sounding wounds.
But Jen avoided real consequences after prosecutors dropped the case. And she and Ronnie are trying to make it work.
There is a difference between working through a rough patch and staying in a toxic or violent relationship.
A lot of parents seem to think that staying in a toxic relationship is worth it for the sake of a child — to give that child two parents.
The reality is too often that children will grow up seeing this toxic relationship, which can harm their development and also influence how that child views relationships as an adult.
(Some will repeat their parents’ mistakes — others will avoid that at all costs, but may develop other issues)
Are Ronnie and Jen really doing Ariana any favors by staying together? Maybe … or maybe not.
For now, though, it looks like they’re trying their best to stay together.
It’s definitely easier than co-parenting their baby as a pair of exes.
We certainly hope that the two of them manage to avoid any future “rough patches.”
(And by that, we definitely mean that we hope that absolutely no one physically assaults anyone else, particularly with a car and asphalt)
Baby Ariana is innocent and deserves her parents at their best.
