diff --git a/lib/BaseWidget.js b/lib/BaseWidget.js
index <HASH>..<HASH> 100644
--- a/lib/BaseWidget.js
+++ b/lib/BaseWidget.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ function BaseWidget (opts) {
 
   opts = _(baseWidgetOpts).merge(opts || {}).toObject();
   if (!opts.screen) opts.screen = (opts.parent || {}).screen;
+  if (!opts.parent) opts.parent = opts.screen;
   if (self instanceof BaseWidget) blessed.Box.call(self, opts); // this should not be called if an element inherits from built-in blessed classes
   self.focusable = opts.focusable;
 
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ function BaseWidget (opts) {
     .return(self)
     .tap(function () { util.logger.debug(util.typeOf(self), 'ready'); });
 }
+BaseWidget.blessed = blessed;
 BaseWidget.prototype.__proto__ = blessed.Box.prototype;
 
 BaseWidget.prototype.walkDepthFirst = function (direction, after, fn) {
feat(opts): if opts.parent doesn’t exist, use opts.screen; export BaseWidget’s copy of blessed as BaseWidget.blessed