Spare the rod and spoil the child. Your thoughts?

I was never canned as a child and i am a firm believer of instilling values and good habits in my child without the need of using physical punishments. In my personal opinion we should teach our children that violence isn't the solution or way out of problems. Talk to them, hear them out and understand them so that they can inculcate these behaviors when dealing with their own situations in the future.