My child is 9 and a really good swimmer, but not interested in doing competitive swimming, races etc. What he wants to do is basically lark about playing games in the pool ... with me. The problem is, I'm sick of it: I have done all that on a weekly basis since he was a baby and now I want to swim lengths, for fitness, or maybe go to the poolside sauna. Because he's genuinely a strong swimmer (and of course there are lifeguards), I would feel perfectly confident going to the other end of the pool or being nearby, but he immediately gets bored and wants to leave. It's a small swimming club and really close to the house so we could go more often, but having to bob around making up challenges for him or toss balls around all the time is not that fun for me. I've tried trying to get other kids to come for playdates there but the parents never really feel like it or have time (or will let me take them). Even when there are other children there, he's not interested in trying to play with them and besides, they're usually younger kids in the shallow end being taught to swim.
So my question, I guess, is when kids can genuinely amuse themselves in the pool by just swimming? Do I just have to keep playing with him, or accept that it will be more years until I get a proper swim again? Why aren't there swimming clubs for kids who don't want to slog up and down doing time trials, but don't need to be taught to swim? Actually I think I know the answers to these, maybe I'm just having a bit of a moan. It's so frustrating!