My 1st Guitar

I was about 7 or 8. Wanted to learn guitar. Had found an old Mel Bay, if I remember, book. Maybe it was Chet Atkins beginner book. Anyway the folks wouldn't let me spend my paper route money on a guitar. I knew my step dad had a guitar up in the attic, I would sneak up and try to play open chords. Man was I discouraged at lack of advancement. I gave it up and never thought of a guitar for many years. What got me going again was when I learned the guitar was a Hawaiian guitar, I didn't know that the strings were supposed to be a mile from the fretboardand it was played with a steel, not fretted ,which I couldn't do.
Still can't figure why it had frets anyway?

brent