I, too, am not meaning to imply a belief in reincarnation, but I do refer to dd12 as an "old soul." She's always seemed older than she is and is usually mistaken for older than she is although she's a petite built person. I've had more people than I can say talk with her on the phone and tell me she sounds like a 25 y/o.

Her unusually long lasting focus on a specific field (marine mammology) also tends to make her sound rather expert since she knows a ton about it and other areas she's loved for a long time.