NEED TO KNOW
Amy Bradley’s mom, Iva, reveals how she feels upon learning the reasoning behind her son’s decision to not have children
Brad Bradley explains why he opted not to have kids in Netflix’s three-part documentary, Amy Bradley Is Missing
Iva exclusively tells PEOPLE it “breaks my heart” because Brad would be “the best daddy”
Amy Bradley’s mom, Iva Bradley, says the first time she learned her son, Brad Bradley, had decided not to have children was while watching Netflix’s documentary series, Amy Bradley Is Missing.

Brad revealed in the popular documentary that the trauma surrounding his sister’s 1998 disappearance from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship shaped his decision not to have kids of his own.

Amy was 23 at the time and on a family vacation with her parents, Iva and Ron, and younger brother, Brad. Her disappearance has been a tragic loss that her family has struggled with ever since.

“It breaks my heart,” Iva tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Because Brad would be the best daddy. And I hate that for him. But I know that this has worn on him and we’re so proud of him.”

“He’s had to watch us. I think the thought that if he had children and something happened to one of them—especially one that’s missing—he would go through that experience [again],” Iva, 72, says.

“Subconsciously, I think I’d have to admit, you know, watching my parents lose a child was so traumatic for me that I’m not willing to put myself in a position to go through that,” Brad, 48, says in the Netflix documentary.

Iva tells PEOPLE that she, Ron and Brad sat down to watch the three-part docuseries as a family two days before its release on July 16. “When that part came on, it was extremely emotional to hear him say that. Because I’ve always wondered [why] because he loves children. That made a serious impact on our hearts.”

The documentary explores what happened when Amy disappeared without a trace from the cruise ship sailing from Oranjestad, Aruba, to Willemstad, Curaçao. Iva says Amy did not vanish in the middle of the ocean, but during the ship’s docking procedure or while it was already docked in port.

“[Brad] is fighting as Amy’s brother and always has, and they have always been close. He never knew life without Amy because she’s his big sister,” says Iva.

“All of these people — and we’re trying not to look at a lot of social media — but people are attacking him, which breaks my heart because he and his dad are two of the nicest people on the face of the earth and would do anything for anybody.”

“He certainly is an absolutely amazing son,” she adds.

Brad, now married for the second time, also shares how his decision impacted his relationships. “Well thankfully, she doesn’t want kids either,” he says of his wife. “My wife never wanted children. So, perfect match.”