The article discusses how a “family timing” may be a crucial factor in highly skilled international mobility. It is based on narrative interviews with Swedish physicians and molecular biologists. In the stories, the family often creates a kind of inertia and complication for working abroad. The interviewees’ dreams of career development, learning new theories and methods or “making a difference” in the world must be negotiated with a partner pursuing his/her own career, as well as the rest of the family. But mobility is also regarded as an amazing opportunity for the whole family to learn about new cultural and social contexts, even though the prolonged stay abroad means both hardships and benefits and there are a lot of logistics and practicalities to take care of. In many stories, the"parethetic displacement" abroad influences gender roles and the ideals of dual careers, equal relationship and a respectful parenthood, vital parts of the image of Swedish middle class.