The operation is handled with the utmost discretion. A few times a week, Brad Pitt waits in his beloved Craftsman-style home in the Hollywood Hills as SUVs descend to deliver precious cargo: Maddox, 16, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 11, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 9. Though a Pitt insider notes the actor lives “just down the street” from his ex and the children’s mother, Angelina Jolie, “it’s never Brad or Angie that does the handoff. It’s always the bodyguards and nannies.” And as soon as papa Pitt takes over care, he settles the brood in for some quality time. “Brad doesn’t go out much with the kids or leave the house,” says the source. “He prefers to keep things very private and safe.”
These days, that philosophy rules his…