Tough Love for Madonna

12/04/2007 at 09:30 AM EST

Who keeps the kids in line at the Madonna-Guy Ritchie household? While working the red carpet at the Cinema Society special screening of his film Revolver in NYC Sunday night, the director said he's the "disciplinarian" to kids Lourdes, 11, Rocco, 7, and David, 2. The pop star, he added, is too much of a "softie." But later, when chatting with PEOPLE – this time under the watchful gaze of his wife – the director admitted, "That was a stretch of the truth." Madonna added: "He's my disciplinarian."
– Jeffrey Slonim