diff --git a/include/table.h b/include/table.h
index f0d53c2..33297fe 100644
--- a/include/table.h
+++ b/include/table.h
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "custom.h"
 #include "result.h"
 #include "trie.h"
+#include "refcount.h"
 
 /**
  * A struct that represents a structure
@@ -17,7 +18,7 @@ struct libab_table_s {
     /**
      * The "parent" scope of this table.
      */
-    struct libab_table_s* parent;
+    libab_ref parent;
     /**
      * The hash table used to store the data.
      */
@@ -119,6 +120,12 @@ libab_basetype* libab_table_search_basetype(libab_table* table,
  */
 libab_result libab_table_put(libab_table* table, const char* string,
                              libab_table_entry* entry);
+/**
+ * Sets the parent of the given table.
+ * @param table the table whose parent to set.
+ * @param parent a valid reference to a parent table.
+ */
+void libab_table_set_parent(libab_table* table, libab_ref* parent);
 /**
  * Frees the resources allocated by the
  * given table.
diff --git a/src/table.c b/src/table.c
index 0cd5264..c25d2b3 100644
--- a/src/table.c
+++ b/src/table.c
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 void libab_table_init(libab_table* table) {
     libab_trie_init(&table->trie);
-    table->parent = NULL;
+    libab_ref_null(&table->parent);
 }
 libab_table_entry* libab_table_search_filter(libab_table* table,
                                              const char* string, void* data,
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ libab_table_entry* libab_table_search_filter(libab_table* table,
     do {
         const ll* matches = libab_trie_get(&table->trie, string);
         to_return = ll_find(matches, data, compare);
-        table = table->parent;
+        table = libab_ref_get(&table->parent);
     } while (table && to_return == NULL);
     return to_return;
 }
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ libab_table_entry* libab_table_search(libab_table* table, const char* string) {
     void* to_return = NULL;
     do {
         to_return = ll_head(libab_trie_get(&table->trie, string));
-        table = table->parent;
+        table = libab_ref_get(&table->parent);
     } while (table && to_return == NULL);
     return to_return;
 }
@@ -86,10 +86,15 @@ int _table_foreach_entry_free(void* data, va_list args) {
     free(data);
     return 0;
 }
+void libab_table_set_parent(libab_table* table, libab_ref* parent) {
+    libab_ref_free(&table->parent);
+    libab_ref_copy(parent, &table->parent);
+}
 void libab_table_free(libab_table* table) {
     libab_trie_foreach(&table->trie, NULL, compare_always,
                        _table_foreach_entry_free);
     libab_trie_free(&table->trie);
+    libab_ref_free(&table->parent);
 }
 void libab_table_entry_free(libab_table_entry* entry) {
     if (entry->variant == ENTRY_OP) {