Thanks for all of your responses. You all are right, I should not empower the wrongs committed by their mother by furthering her mean spirited agenda. The nieces really did not start this war, their mother did. And I'm sure if they were told to ignore me, they were probably too afraid to stand up for themselves against their mother if they did not agree with what she was telling them to do so they are just going along with her wishes to keep the peace. Sad if that is the case.

I'm not the first person their mother has treated badly. Their mother refused to speak to my husband for 7 years because of something he said that she supposedly took offense to. She refused to talk it out with him and chose instead to "do a burn on him" that lasted all those years. She did not come to our wedding as a result of it and did not acknowledge my 2 kids whom she is the aunt of either. About 5 years ago, she got tired of giving the silent treatment and said she was going to "do things differently" and started speaking to us again. Had to introduce herself to my kids as they did not even know who she was. Now I suppose she'll start the burn all over again except it will be against me now. This woman is a real piece of work!