diff --git a/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/entity.rs b/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/entity.rs
index 1e1f39e228bc72..d05e760f1ef930 100644
--- a/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/entity.rs
+++ b/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/entity.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use crate::{
     widget::{Button, ImageMode},
-    CalculatedSize, FocusPolicy, Interaction, Node, Style, UiColor, UiImage, CAMERA_UI,
+    CalculatedSize, ControlNode, FocusPolicy, Interaction, Node, Style, UiColor, UiImage,
+    CAMERA_UI,
 };
 use bevy_ecs::bundle::Bundle;
 use bevy_render2::{
@@ -10,6 +11,15 @@ use bevy_render2::{
 use bevy_text2::Text;
 use bevy_transform::prelude::{GlobalTransform, Transform};
 
+/// If you add this to an entity, it should be the *only* bundle on it from bevy_ui.
+/// This bundle will mark the entity as transparent to the UI layout system, meaning the
+/// children of this entity will be treated as the children of this entity s parent by the layout system.
+pub struct ControlBundle {
+    pub control_node: ControlNode,
+    pub transform: Transform,
+    pub global_transform: GlobalTransform,
+}
+
 #[derive(Bundle, Clone, Debug, Default)]
 pub struct NodeBundle {
     pub node: Node,
diff --git a/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/flex/mod.rs b/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/flex/mod.rs
index 0bb7a573d302ab..1e6a2a7b92860d 100644
--- a/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/flex/mod.rs
+++ b/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/flex/mod.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 mod convert;
 
-use crate::{CalculatedSize, Node, Style};
+use crate::{CalculatedSize, ControlNode, Node, Style};
 use bevy_app::EventReader;
 use bevy_ecs::{
     entity::Entity,
@@ -111,19 +111,62 @@ impl FlexSurface {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn update_children(&mut self, entity: Entity, children: &Children) {
+    pub fn update_children(
+        &mut self,
+        entity: Entity,
+        children: &Children,
+        control_node_query: &mut Query<&mut ControlNode>,
+        unfiltered_children_query: &Query<&Children>,
+    ) {
         let mut stretch_children = Vec::with_capacity(children.len());
-        for child in children.iter() {
-            if let Some(stretch_node) = self.entity_to_stretch.get(child) {
-                stretch_children.push(*stretch_node);
+        fn inner(
+            true_parent: Entity,
+            child: Entity,
+            control_node_query: &mut Query<&mut ControlNode>,
+            unfiltered_children_query: &Query<&Children>,
+            do_on_real: &mut impl FnMut(Entity),
+        ) {
+            if let Ok(mut control_node) = control_node_query.get_mut(child) {
+                control_node.true_parent = Some(true_parent);
+                for &child in unfiltered_children_query
+                    .get(child)
+                    .ok()
+                    .into_iter()
+                    .map(|c| &**c)
+                    .flatten()
+                {
+                    inner(
+                        true_parent,
+                        child,
+                        control_node_query,
+                        unfiltered_children_query,
+                        do_on_real,
+                    );
+                }
             } else {
-                warn!(
-                    "Unstyled child in a UI entity hierarchy. You are using an entity \
-without UI components as a child of an entity with UI components, results may be unexpected."
-                );
+                do_on_real(child);
             }
         }
 
+        for &child in children.iter() {
+            inner(
+                entity,
+                child,
+                control_node_query,
+                unfiltered_children_query,
+                &mut |e| {
+                    if let Some(stretch_node) = self.entity_to_stretch.get(&e) {
+                        stretch_children.push(*stretch_node);
+                    } else {
+                        warn!(
+                            "Unstyled child in a UI entity hierarchy. You are using an entity \
+    without UI components as a child of an entity with UI components, results may be unexpected."
+                        );
+                    }
+                },
+            );
+        }
+
         let stretch_node = self.entity_to_stretch.get(&entity).unwrap();
         self.stretch
             .set_children(*stretch_node, stretch_children)
@@ -207,7 +250,10 @@ pub fn flex_node_system(
         (Entity, &Style, &CalculatedSize),
         (With<Node>, Changed<CalculatedSize>),
     >,
-    children_query: Query<(Entity, &Children), (With<Node>, Changed<Children>)>,
+    changed_children_query: Query<(Entity, &Children), (With<Node>, Changed<Children>)>,
+    unfiltered_children_query: Query<&Children>,
+    mut control_node_query: Query<&mut ControlNode>,
+    changed_cnc_query: Query<Entity, (Changed<Children>, With<ControlNode>)>,
     mut node_transform_query: Query<(Entity, &mut Node, &mut Transform, Option<&Parent>)>,
 ) {
     // update window root nodes
@@ -262,8 +308,28 @@ pub fn flex_node_system(
     }
 
     // update children
-    for (entity, children) in children_query.iter() {
-        flex_surface.update_children(entity, children);
+    for (entity, children) in changed_children_query.iter() {
+        flex_surface.update_children(
+            entity,
+            children,
+            &mut control_node_query,
+            &unfiltered_children_query,
+        );
+    }
+
+    for entity in changed_cnc_query.iter() {
+        let true_parent = if let Some(e) = control_node_query.get_mut(entity).unwrap().true_parent {
+            e
+        } else {
+            continue;
+        };
+        let children = unfiltered_children_query.get(true_parent).unwrap();
+        flex_surface.update_children(
+            true_parent,
+            children,
+            &mut control_node_query,
+            &unfiltered_children_query,
+        );
     }
 
     // compute layouts
@@ -284,7 +350,11 @@ pub fn flex_node_system(
         position.x = to_logical(layout.location.x + layout.size.width / 2.0);
         position.y = to_logical(layout.location.y + layout.size.height / 2.0);
         if let Some(parent) = parent {
-            if let Ok(parent_layout) = flex_surface.get_layout(parent.0) {
+            let parent = control_node_query
+                .get_mut(parent.0)
+                .map(|cn| cn.true_parent.unwrap())
+                .unwrap_or(parent.0);
+            if let Ok(parent_layout) = flex_surface.get_layout(parent) {
                 position.x -= to_logical(parent_layout.size.width / 2.0);
                 position.y -= to_logical(parent_layout.size.height / 2.0);
             }
diff --git a/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/ui_node.rs b/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/ui_node.rs
index b03d4f94ea15bb..e8e0d098315917 100644
--- a/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/ui_node.rs
+++ b/pipelined/bevy_ui2/src/ui_node.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use bevy_asset::Handle;
-use bevy_ecs::{prelude::Component, reflect::ReflectComponent};
+use bevy_ecs::{prelude::*, reflect::ReflectComponent};
 use bevy_math::{Rect, Size, Vec2};
 use bevy_reflect::{Reflect, ReflectDeserialize};
 use bevy_render2::{color::Color, texture::Image};
@@ -12,6 +12,14 @@ pub struct Node {
     pub size: Vec2,
 }
 
+/// If you add this to an entity, it should be the *only* component on it from bevy_ui.
+/// This component marks an entity as "transparent" to the UI layout system, meaning the
+/// children of this entity will be treated as the children of this entity s parent by the layout system.
+#[derive(Clone, Default, Component)]
+pub struct ControlNode {
+    pub(crate) true_parent: Option<Entity>,
+}
+
 #[derive(Copy, Clone, PartialEq, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize, Reflect)]
 #[reflect_value(PartialEq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub enum Val {