How to handle it when your two year olds act up in public every time you go out?

For the last several weeks, every time my daughter takes the twins (age 2) out in public they turn into wild, spoiled brats. They’re great at home, but in public it’s hell.

Example: At Walmart you can be sure that at some point the girl twin will throw herself on the floor and start screaming “Help me!!” for no reason. Sorry. I laughed at the vision in my head of that! They keep trying to throw themselves out of the cart and throwing things out of the cart.

She took her oldest, along with the twins, to lunch at a restaurant. The twins were beating on the back of their seats, bugging the people around them, banging spoons on the table, throwing their food. Just being every kind of brat imaginable.

She has two older kids who never acted like that, at least not as consistently, and she’s at her wit’s end. She said she’s ready to cry. She’s afraid people around her are judging her. I told her that as long as she stays calm they’ll all understand. Well, anyone who has dealt with 2 year olds will understand.

When she was little she’d sometimes go into meltdown, to the point where if we were at a restaurant the manager would come over to ask if I needed help. I just said, “No, going to get her out of here so she isn’t bothering people. She probably needs a nap,” although she may have HAD a nap just before we went.

She is a really great Mom, has great kids, and the twins are fine at home. I asked her if it was possible they were just tired. She said no, it didn’t matter what time they went, they just turn into brats.

Any ideas on how she can handle it? She usually just leaves her cart where it is, and takes them to the car until they calm down, but the minute they get back in the store, they’re at it again!

What is up with them?