~の頃 (around the time of)

The frame [noun]+の頃 (often in kana: ~のころ), 'around the time of, in the period of' — 子供の頃 ('childhood'), 学生の頃 ('student days'), 若いころ ('when one was young'). 頃 (ころ) softens the time reference compared to のとき, evoking an extended period rather than a specific moment. Often used for reminiscence and vague past time-frames.