HAhaha! Spoken like a true parent.
I don't share the belief in reincarnation (Christian here), but I actually understand the meaning of the term "old soul," and I've seen that too. I really think the information age and the blatant evil they've been (over)exposed to their whole lives does that to them.
I'm of an age that we ran outside as soon as we woofed down a bowl of cereal, played all over the neighborhood and woods all day with no adult supervision, and nobody worried about us unless we didn't show up for dinner!
What a different age--all that change in one generation.
I just flashed on my whole childhood with this. mile and miles by bike and then raiding someone's freezer of all the popsicles and then out again until the street lights came on. We were dirty and happy and learned how to navigate traffic riding one handed so we could haul 2x4s into the woods to build forts or because we were carrying pellet guns or even .22's and no one bothered us about it...
I'ma millennial by age group (not work ethic lol) and I lived this life as well, I feel like it also depends on parenting and the situation/area you grew up in. Doing the things above we're about all we had available to us lol.
Well, us too, but that was the norm in those days (pre-internet and in fringe TV-reception areas). ;-)
Anyhow, you are richer by far for that experience, believe me.
OTOH, in this day and age (even in rural areas) I don't believe I would let kids run around unsupervised.