diff --git a/lib/widget.js b/lib/widget.js
index 9657add..076d8c0 100644
--- a/lib/widget.js
+++ b/lib/widget.js
@@ -1666,6 +1666,20 @@ Element.prototype.clearPos = function() {
  * Positioning
  */
 
+// Help center shrunken nested elements.
+Screen.prototype.spos =
+Element.prototype.spos = function() {
+  var pos = this.lpos;
+  if (!pos || !this.shrink) return this;
+  pos.width = pos.xl - pos.xi;
+  pos.height = pos.yl - pos.yi;
+  pos.left = pos.xi;
+  pos.top = pos.yi;
+  pos.right = this.screen.cols - pos.xl;
+  pos.bottom = this.screen.rows - pos.yl;
+  return pos;
+};
+
 // NOTE: When coords are entered in the Element constructor, all of the coords
 // are *relative* to their parent, when retrieving them from `.left`, `.right`,
 // etc members, the coords are absolute. To see the *relative* coords again,
@@ -1674,6 +1688,8 @@ Element.prototype.clearPos = function() {
 Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('left', function() {
   var left = this.position.left;
 
+  var parent = this.parent.spos();
+
   if (typeof left === 'string') {
     if (left === 'center') left = '50%';
     left = +left.slice(0, -1) / 100;
@@ -1687,7 +1703,7 @@ Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('left', function() {
     return this.screen.cols - this.width - this.right;
   }
 
-  return (this.parent.left || 0) + left;
+  return (parent.left || 0) + left;
 });
 
 Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('right', function() {
@@ -1700,6 +1716,8 @@ Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('right', function() {
 Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('top', function() {
   var top = this.position.top;
 
+  var parent = this.parent.spos();
+
   if (typeof top === 'string') {
     if (top === 'center') top = '50%';
     top = +top.slice(0, -1) / 100;
@@ -1713,7 +1731,7 @@ Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('top', function() {
     return this.screen.rows - this.height - this.bottom;
   }
 
-  return (this.parent.top || 0) + top;
+  return (parent.top || 0) + top;
 });
 
 Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('bottom', function() {
@@ -2144,15 +2162,6 @@ Box.prototype.render = function(stop) {
     xi = ret.xi, xl = ret.xl, yi = ret.yi, yl = ret.yl;
   }
 
-  // TODO: Possibly do something like this, except more complex.
-  // if (this.parent.padding) {
-  //   xi += this.parent.padding;
-  //   xl += this.parent.padding;
-  //   yi += this.parent.padding;
-  //   yl += this.parent.padding;
-  // }
-  // if (this.parent.border) xi++, xl++, yi++, yl++;
-
   ret = {
     xi: xi,
     xl: xl,
diff --git a/test/widget-shrink-padding.js b/test/widget-shrink-padding.js
index 1bdd25e..6cd8628 100644
--- a/test/widget-shrink-padding.js
+++ b/test/widget-shrink-padding.js
@@ -18,8 +18,10 @@ var inner = blessed.box({
   parent: outer,
   left: 0,
   top: 0,
-  width: 5,
-  height: 5,
+  //width: 5,
+  //height: 5,
+  shrink: true,
+  content: 'foobar',
   //padding: 1,
   //content: 'f',
   bg: 'magenta'