I really thing you (LW) should go along with the wife. Family life and such is so much more important than work, unless you are on some sort of Nobel prize track for work that is essential for the benefit of humanity.

Yes, you will probably have the mortgages and the school fees, but over the years other opportunities to do creative things, perhaps in fields that you aren't even aware of yet will almost certainly arise.

I have lived in both Europe and the States (and elsewhere) for many years, and while the grass is definitely greener on the other side, true happiness is not defined so much by being in a particular place, but by being in harmony with your surrounds, and especially with your domestic situation.

Your corporate adventures here would be temporary, and in the meantime you would lose ground on the steps you can take to continue to build your career at home. I work in the corporate American world and while it might seem inviting, well...

Regarding your wife--being a wife and young mother in a new country--or even a new city for that matter--can be quite isolating. A large international company has offices here in my hometown, and we have many families from other nations coming through for 1 - 2 years, and I have seen firsthand how difficult it is for the wives and children. Unless your wife is very outgoing, she might just be finally building the support system she needs to be happy about the time you are ready to return home.

But the main thing is, you need to understand that you can impact the world in a big way from right where you are. In my experince there is no "geographic cure". Enjoy the blessings of being near your friends and extended family, set realistic goals, and bloom where you're planted.

You don't mention whether or not you have kids yet, or the ages of you and your wife... I think that makes a difference. Are you younger than 25? I think you are, and if you are, I think you should consider it with more weight. If you are young and haven't begun the family that you plan to have... I would urge your wife this: there will come a time (and it's not as far off as you think) when you will fall into a comfortable groove and miss all the freedoms and excitements that make up our youth. There will come a time when you wonder why you didn't act on these sorts of whims more often, before it became impossible due to the complexities that accumulate throughout life. I would tell your wife to consider it very seriously because not only will she have some amazing experiences and memories, she will also have a very contented husband; a perfect foundation for a stable, happy, loving family. And I would suggest... why not make it only one year? One year is doable, no? Much easier than two - your wife will be able to see the end in sight the whole time, and you'll be able to live out your adventure.

If you are not young, and I've guessed wrong... if you are in your 30s... that's a bit tougher. I think by the time you reach your thirties you need roots a little bit more than you do in your 20s. Maybe it's a biased perspective, but I tend to believe it's true in a general sense. I just think it might be tougher in this case for your wife to adjust, and there is a greater potential for harm. May be best to follow Cary's advice in this case.

Best of luck to you and your family!

I once picked up and moved to another country, in order to Find Myself, expand creative opportunities, have adventures, etc., etc.

My experience was wonderful, but not at ALL what I expected. When you switch countries, you run into huge walls of differing cultural assumptions that you never knew existed; everything is ten times as hard as you though it would be, and takes five times as long to accomplish.

My sense of your situation is that you might find these 'fabulous opportunities' in the U.S. to be as frustrating as the politics and provincialism of your native land, if not much more so. The tension would be exacerbated by the inevitable strain on your marriage, particularly as your wife would not find it easy to get a green card and thus a job, and would be separated from family and friends.

Plus, I don't know if you've heard, but the U.S. economy isn't doing so well at the moment. You might make a major move and then find yourself out of a job.

You can have plenty of adventures without taking so drastic a step, particularly when your child is young. Consider negotiating with your wife for a smaller house, a less 'elite' private school, in exchange for taking longer vacations in exotic places.

Oh, and I know that most Europeans get 4-6 weeks of paid vacation. In America it's two weeks or less. Why on EARTH would you want to come here, anyway?

Where in America the job was, but it doesn't really matter. Going through the hassle of moving, settling in and then *moving back* in 2 years or so is just a bad plan. Paticularly if it's going to upset the wife.

If you've got a bunch of great ideas, your bosses in America have e-mail, telephones and FedEx. You can share your brilliance from where you are.

You're married with children. Your "hurrah" days are over.

I'll be the first to admit I've not really lived outside of the US. Traveled, yes, and the closest I've come to living outside the US was a few weeks spent one summer in Erlangen Germany while I was in college. That was ages ago too, quite possibly before you were born.

Looking at things from a purely pragmatic point-of-view, there is the very real possibility we may be entering a global depression. If so, you and your family will be much better off staying in your home country near friends and family.

Not adventurous, I know, but consider this: If you loose your job in Europe, you at least still have health coverage and a place to live. Loose your job in the United States, you loose health coverage, and I believe you will also loose your permanent resident status, forcing an unplanned move back home at your own expense when you can least afford it.